Says Community Was Not Notified
By Hank Russell
New York Assemblymember Charles Lavine recently sent a letter to the mayor of Glen Cove and the City Council protesting the location of a gun store in the city’s downtown area.
Lavine (D-Glen Cove) sent a letter to Mayor Pamela Panzenbeck and members of the city council on August 27 claiming that Glen Cove Guns & Ammo, located at 44 Glen Street, Store B, was allowed to establish itself in the city “[w]ith no prior community notification whatsoever.”
“Although the present charter is silent on the question of whether such a store is permissible, the controversial nature of the presence of such an establishment in the heart of our downtown should have been the subject of a hearing to permit the public to speak,” Lavine wrote. “There was no legal impediment to such a hearing.”
He pointed out that the gun store is “just feet away” from Madeline’s Play Cafe, which he described as “an outstanding addition to our City designed to attract children,” and its location “will not provide a welcoming environment for any new retail interests intended to appeal to youngsters and young families and will in fact substantially inhibit the development of any such highly desired commercial interests.”
Lavine requested that the city charter be amended to create gun-store-free zones “to ensure that any such establishments are restricted to appropriate locations.”
According to research conducted by Long Island Life & Politics, Glen Cove Guns & Ammo is licensed by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and its Federal Firearms License is up-to-date.
LILP called Glen Cove Guns & Ammo for a reaction to Lavine’s letter. An unidentified man who answered the phone said, “I don’t have anything to tell you” before hanging up.
LILP also made repeated calls and emails to the City of Glen Cove and is waiting to hear back.