Goleta Gun Shop Relocating Next-Door to Preschool, Sparking Community Outrage

Last week, Goleta residents Steve Hale and his wife were driving down Hollister Avenue — the same road they travel every day — when they noticed something new looming over the vacant 7-Eleven building at 7443 Hollister Avenue.

A large chain-link fence had gone up around the property.

Unsure of what was happening, the couple turned to their neighborhood Nextdoor page with a post asking: “What is happening at the old 7-11 on Hollister next to the kid’s daycare? Spiked gates going up around the perimeter.”

Within hours, speculation flooded the comments. Residents eventually narrowed in on what was happening: The vacant building was being transformed into a gun store.

The concern was not simply that a firearms retailer was opening — it was where it was opening — the building shares a fence line with the preschool Here We Grow Early Learning Center.

The properties also sit right behind the Hollister Avenue Class 1 Bike Path, which was completed in February 2018 by the City of Goleta. The project created a 14-foot-wide, multi-use path on the south side of Hollister, connecting Pacific Oaks Road to Ellwood Elementary School. 

As part of the Safe Routes to School efforts, the goal was to make the road safer for everyone. Residents said they were appalled that a gun store could be considered an appropriate use for a location where children regularly walk and bike to school. 

Kelly Hoover, community relations manager for the City of Goleta, confirmed last Wednesday that the retailer’s firearms dealer business license had been approved by the City of Goleta, allowing Goodland Guns, previously located in Old Town Goleta, to move in. 

What began as neighborhood texts and online discussion quickly turned into a packed community meeting Monday night at Santa Barbara Shores Park, organized by Moms Demand Action. More than 50 residents gathered to voice concerns and demand answers from city officials, including councilmembers Stuart Kasdin and James Kyriaco.

For parents at the preschool, outrage was an understatement.

Catherine Mizrahi and her husband Dan, whose child attends the preschool, said they want the conversation to remain focused on safety rather than politics.

“We’re hoping to have a focused and respectful discussion. This isn’t about opinions, politics, or gun rights. This is about child safety and community concern,” Mizrahi said.

Preschool director Nicole Hammock said the school was never informed about the incoming business. Neither were parents or nearby residents, she said.

After learning about the move through community discussions, Hammock posted on Nextdoor asking for support in opposing the location.

“The city has failed us,” Goleta resident Matt Twohey said during the meeting. “How is this acceptable? How is this right? What laws are permitting this?”

Under federal law, the situation is more complicated than many residents realized. The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 (18 U.S.C. § 922(q)) generally prohibits firearm possession within 1,000 feet of a school, but includes exemptions, including for private property that is not part of school grounds. The law also does not apply to preschools and pre-kindergarten facilities.

That distinction has left residents questioning why other businesses faced restrictions near schools while a gun store can legally operate next-door.

Residents pointed to previous businesses, including the former 7-Eleven and a potential cannabis dispensary, that they said were unable to operate at the location because of restrictions involving alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana sales near schools.

The proposed gun store has also raised concerns about the preschool’s future facing major economic issues. Parents worry families may reconsider enrolling their children if the location remains unchanged.

For Goodland Guns owner Dan Ashton, however, the controversy has been unexpected.

Ashton attended Monday’s meeting after learning about it only an hour beforehand. He arrived with a prepared statement explaining that his business has spent years searching for a new location after rent was doubled and security concerns forced him out of Old Town Goleta.

In 2021, the store experienced a break-in where 13 firearms were stolen, seven of which have since been recovered. The incident was one reason some residents raised additional concerns about the potential risks of a gun store operating directly beside a preschool.

“We’re a local business and a proud part of the community,” Ashton said. “We’re operating under strictly legal guidelines.”

Firearms must be stored in locked containers when leaving the store — a law that follows federal requirements. He explained that guns coming in and out of the store will never be visible by parents or children.

Ashton is a Goleta resident, a father, and a business owner trying to keep his company alive. After searching for more than two years, he found the Hollister Avenue property and signed a 25-year lease — a long-term commitment that is uncommon in Santa Barbara County.

He previously secured an industrial location in Goleta, but the deal fell through, costing him roughly $20,000. He is now subleasing that space and attempting to mend his losses with this new location. 

There was a two-year process involving more than 150 emails between Ashton and the city, but when the lease was eventually signed, there was no pushback or indication that the location was inappropriate. 

Residents argue that the process lacked transparency and the city should have been forthright at some point during the process. 

However, since the former 7-Eleven lot has sat vacant, Ashton said the property became a source of problems, including reports of vandalism, defecation, drug use, and illegal activity. He noted that residents have even thanked him since moving in because those issues have completely ceased. 

“We’ve been safe and quiet neighbors for the past decade,” Ashton said. “We plan on staying that way.”

While residents emphasized that they do not blame Ashton personally, many questioned how the city approved the location without broader community discussion.

Councilmember Kasdin, who represents the district where the preschool and proposed gun shop are located, said the city handled the approval administratively and that officials treated Goodland Guns like any other business moving into a commercially zoned property.

“It’s technically categorized as a sporting goods business,” Kasdin said. “The city handled it like it would any other move.”

He added that the property is zoned for general commercial use rather than community use. However, residents argued that regardless of zoning, the location does not serve the community.

“There are more questions than answers right now,” Kasdin said.

Ben Boyce, a teacher in the Santa Barbara school system, said years of responding to school safety concerns have shown him the emotional impact gun violence has on students.

“I’ve seen the way students are affected by school shooting drills and [nearby] violence,” Boyce said. “It’s damaging for everyone.”

He questioned how a gun store could operate directly beside a preschool when schools respond so seriously to even the presence of weapons nearby.

“If any weapon comes even within sight of a school, the windows are drawn, doors are locked, lights are turned off — it’s full lockdown; SWAT rolls in,” Boyce said. “So how is this allowed?”

Ethan Bertrand, Goleta Unified School District boardmember and district director for Assemblymember Gregg Hart, also attended the meeting and spoke against the location.

“A gun store is not acceptable, and [Hart] will be working with the city to make sure all options are exhausted,” Bertrand said.

Hart also weighed in, saying in a statement that he understands the concerns from both parents and community members.

“Having operated a family-owned preschool for two decades, I understand firsthand the concerns being raised by parents and community members about the proposed location of a gun store next to a preschool,” Hart said. “I will continue working with the City of Goleta and local stakeholders to explore every available option. Our community should do everything possible to protect children and ensure they can learn in a safe environment.”

As the meeting continued, emotions intensified. Parents offered to fundraise, help Ashton find another location, or explore any possible solution that would allow the business to move while protecting the preschool community.

Residents pressed Kasdin for answers and questioned whether legal action against the city was possible. Kasdin remarked that while this is unfortunate, the city isn’t a “real estate agency,” and won’t be out searching for a new location. 

“It’s not about where it should be but where it shouldn’t be,” said Councilmember Kyriaco, who represents the district where Goodland Guns is moving from. “I can’t speak for the rest of city staff, because of the Brown Act, but publicly, I’ll say this is an unacceptable location for the store.”

County Supervisor Laura Capps agrees. In a statement shared on Tuesday afternoon, she expressed gratitude for Moms Demand Action raising alarm bells and advocating for the neighborhood. 

“Sharing a fence with a preschool is about the worst location imaginable for a gun store. I know the Goleta City Council shares these serious concerns, and I hope they can find a way to change the outcome,” Capps said. “Children deserve to learn and play in environments that put their safety first.” 

Goodland Guns is preparing for a soft launch next week, with a hard opening planned for September 5.

As residents continue pushing for solutions, the central question remains unresolved: After years of city review and approval, how did this become the location chosen for a gun store beside a preschool?

“The City fucked up,” Twohey said. “And because of that, they need to fix it, make it work, and make [Ashton] and the school right again.”

For now, neighbors say they are not backing down. Here We Grow Learning Center has created an online protest petition that has received more than 1,000 signatures as of Tuesday morning. 

“This is going to affect not only our kids, but their kids,” Moms Demand Action Member Tarrah Bouley said. “This is a severe attachment to the local community that will affect at least two generations.”