Updated: Los Gatos Gun Shop Templar Sports Targeted For Closure?

Update: 12:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17: The Los Gatos Town Council unanimously voted Monday evening to approve a zoning ordinance to restrict the sale of firearms only to the commercial industrial zone.

The Council also restricted the location of such sales at least 250 feet away from parks, schools, government buildings and existing youth-oriented businesses, with a so-called conditional use permit and annual review compliance.


Home firearm sales in Los Gatos are also prohibited, except in Santa Clara County pockets, which are allowed.

By a 4-1, however, and with Los Gatos Councilwoman Diane McNutt dissenting, the Council voted to give Templar Sports, the existing firearms retailer in town, four years to come into compliance since it's located outside the approved zone.

The four-year term was based on only lease documentation provided by the retailer.

“For the first time in the town’s history, the Council has adopted land use regulations regarding the sale of firearms," said Los Gatos Town Manager Greg Larson.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Opponents of Los Gatos firearms retailer Templar Sports were emailing this publication late Monday evening with the news that the business' website had been disabled.

The emails came after the Los Gatos Town Council considered zoning ordinance amendments that Templar Sports supporters said were aimed at shutting down its operation at 611 University Ave.

The Council debated Monday night whether to restrict retail firearms sales to commercial and industrial zones in town with a conditional-use permit.

And Templar Sports is not located in such zones, making it a so-called "non-conforming" use.

Historically, a non-conforming use would not be required to obtain a CUP unless the use was modified or expanded and such businesses have been allowed in the downtown area in perpetuity.

However, a Council ad-hoc subcommittee, which worked on the new zoning amendments, considered the time limits which would require such uses to come into compliance within 60 days.

A staff report listed several uses which would be allowed to continue interminably, but firearms sales was not one of them.

The Council was also considering repealing a town code section that allowed the discharging of a firearm on private property larger than five acres.

Rationale for doing so was that the policy was likely written when the Los Gatos hillsides were less populated and more rural, a staff report said.

Also the firearms retail business permit fee was being considered at $4,000.

On Aug. 28, the Los Gatos Planning Commission considered the controversial zoning amendments and some thought 60 days was too short for compliance.

Also, the question about whether Templar Sports is located in the downtown area was raised.

According to the report, downtown Los Gatos has different zoning requirements related to parking and non-conforming uses.

The town's Central Business District is located within the much larger downtown area and Templar Sports is located in the downtown, but not within such a zoning district, the report added.

Los Gatos resident Lisa Mammel wrote to the Council on Sept. 13 that current town code requires 60 days compliance for non-conforming existing businesses and said the town was not alone in this issue.

Palo Alto and San Francisco have similar 60-day periods for compliance by existing businesses and Campbell has a 90-day compliance period, Mammel said.

A resident identified as Janet K. wrote: "Please keep harmful ammunition out of our town. We do not need 100 occupancy magazines for 'sportsmen' to shoot paper targets. Every gun owner claims to be responsible, but very rarely do memers of drug cartels or gangs go on rampages inside schools, Sikh churches or places of business. The 2nd Amendment is about militias, not gun fetishists who like to play with toys. Please keep dangerous ammunition and guns out of Los Gatos!"

ALSO ON LOS GATOS PATCH:

Gun Sales in Los Gatos Could Be Restricted to Commercial, Industrial Zones