The owner of a new Oak Park, Ill., gun shop set to open later this month in the Chicago suburb was met with community ire at a meeting held Tuesday.
Justin Delafuente, the owner of Windy City Firearms, applied for and was granted a license to open his business earlier this year, but some community members questioned why he chose to base his new venture in the west suburban village, which until last year banned handguns entirely.
"Obviously, there's people that hate it, they are always going to hate it and it doesn't matter what you say, what you're going to do, how far away you are, 10 feet from a school, 10 miles from a school," Delafuente said, according to the Chicago Tribune. "There's always going to be those people, and they have a right to feel that way, but I also have a right to sell firearms."
In his statement, Delafuente was referencing the fact that the shop, set to open at 6338 W. Roosevelt Road, is located within two blocks of both Irving Elementary School and a separate preschool.
Brushing off concerns about the shop's proximity to the schools, Delafuente told community members that he and his stepfather have owned the building, which also houses Bull Sharpening next door, for 25 years, the Wednesday Journal reports.
Oak Park Police Chief Rick Tanksley and Roosevelt Road Business Association President Paul Zimmerman joined Delafuente on the community panel as they answered questions from the 80-some individuals who came to the meeting hosted by the South East Oak Park Community Organization, the Tribune reports.
Village officials told concerned residents they will keep close watch on Delafuente's business to ensure it is being run in a safe and secure fashion.
Oak Park Patch reports that the shop will only sell rifles and shotguns, not handguns, and will only take orders for its merchandise online or through customers looking at a catalog in the store. There will be no shooting range on site and Delafuente expects the majority of his customers will be hunters and police officers. Potential owners will be required to provide their Firearms Owners Identification Card and pass a background check through Illinois State Police.
Still, some residents remained skeptical about the shop. Resident Carol Zowaski voiced her concerns to the Wednesday Journal.
"Why would he come here when there's a preschool blocks away? Or why would he come here when he knows Oak Park is in unity against it?"