Monterey outlines a plan to limit new gun shops after an earlier approval sparks outcry.

In late 2024, Monterey planning officials internally approved a gun shop at the corner of Ocean Avenue and Third Street, as it checked all the boxes of the city’s zoning code, which doesn’t regulate such businesses.

After hearing of this decision, neighbors and other residents went to the City Council in February 2025 to oppose the shop, contending its location near homes and a preschool wasn’t appropriate. The council adopted an emergency ordinance that temporarily halted new licenses for firearms businesses until city staff could research the matter.

The results of that research came into view on Tuesday, Oct. 14, when the Monterey Planning Commission recommended the council adopt an ordinance that prohibits gun shops in most areas of the city. The commission split 3-2 on the recommendation, with Commissioners Mike Brassfield and Mike Dawson dissenting.

Under the proposed ordinance, new businesses would only be allowed in areas zoned for industrial uses, which is near the Monterey Regional Airport and Ryan Ranch. Those businesses would require a public hearing before they are approved, and must be at least 600 feet away from a school, residential zone, liquor store, park or other specific uses.

There are currently four firearm and ammunition businesses licensed in the city. L&B Firearms, whose approval sparked the emergency ordinance, is not yet operational, and the proposed ordinance would limit the business’ existence to three years.

Big 5 Sporting Goods and Gallagher Ammunition Sales only sell ammunition, and would not be allowed to expand by selling guns, according to the ordinance.

JC Firearms and Ammo will be grandfathered in as a “legal nonconforming use,” as it is located within 600 feet of a daycare. Proprietor Jeff Cecilio says he views the proposal as not an attack on firearms shops, but rather the city’s effort to find a “happy medium” between allowing businesses to operate and addressing concerns from residents.

The ordinance would prohibit new firearm and ammunition businesses that operate out of homes. Monterey has one, Gallagher Ammunition, whose owner Colin Gallagher told the commissioners that his business is entirely online, with no inventory at his home.

“I don’t think having a prohibitive policy that restricts who can or cannot have licenses in the future is a good idea,” he said. “It’s an example of Monterey’s ongoing restrictive policies that are anti-business in a nutshell.”

Both Brassfield and Dawson said they didn’t see the need for the ordinance, with Brassfield adding that it takes away someone’s opportunity to make a living.

Commissioner Terry Latasa noted the ordinance addresses a safety gap in the city’s zoning code. Prior to the emergency ordinance, city code treated gun and ammunition shops like any other retail store, with no setbacks or zoning restrictions.

The ordinance will next head to the Monterey City Council for consideration at a date to be determined.