Residents Pepper Goleta Council with Questions, Advice on What to Do About Gun Shop Near Preschool

Can a preschool coexist with a gun store and remain successful? Does Goodland Guns fit within the commercial zoning description for 7443 Hollister Avenue? Has the security at the gun shop been evaluated by the City of Goleta? Residents of the Ellwood neighborhood peppered the Goleta City Council on August 18 with questions and advice during the second council meeting in a row since they learned a gun dealer had set up shop next to Here We Grow preschool in what had been a 7-Eleven convenience store. At the first, on August 11, the council expressed concern and said they wanted to change the ordinance that allowed this to happen.

Goodland Guns owner Dan Ashton is no happier with the city than his new neighbors. He moved from an Old Town location after his rent doubled and also for security reasons, but his attempts to relocate to industrial zones were met with delay and his business permit was denied, he told the Independent on Friday. (On Monday, Goleta spokesperson Kelly Hoover stated Ashton was not denied but had not completed his application for the mix of uses he had proposed.) Instead, Goleta approved him for 7443 Hollister Avenue, in a ministerial decision that was not subject to either notice to the neighbors or the preschool next-door, nor was it a decision that could be appealed.

In response, the neighborhood has rallied not only for Here We Grow but for the children who walk to Ellwood elementary five blocks away, use the Class I bike path that runs by the gun shop, or wait at the bus stop across the street. And they’ve been doing their homework.

“Fixing tomorrow’s ordinance cannot substitute for addressing today’s problem,” said Amy Bankoff, who went on to describe how thieves had cut through the wall at Goodland Guns in 2021 and stolen 11 firearms. Bankoff said state Department of Justice records showed that 32 guns used in crimes were traced to Goodland Guns between 2021 and 2024. “I want to be clear,” she said, “that this does not by itself establish wrongdoing by the dealer, but together with the documented burglary history it is information that I believe warrants serious review by the city.”

Some cities, said Mary Nishimoto, require a conditional-use permit for a firearms business with specific structural requirements, a 24/7 theft prevention system, and a minimum of $1 million commercial liability insurance. Firearms dealers are confined to specific areas at a specific radius from sensitive businesses or activities. Goleta has no such zoning requirements, placing the sale of firearms in a sporting goods category.

Darcy Bradley said a gun store threatened the viability of a preschool business right next-door. Dr. John Feusier, who runs his own dental practice, suggested the city pressure the shop, facilitate a lease break, and cover the relocation costs if necessary.

Another business owner, Kyle Ashby, broke down the gun market, calculating the number of people over the age of 18 — the age at which one may buy a gun — around 7443 Hollister who might be in the 8.1 percent of Californians who buy a gun or ammunition. Considering that two-thirds of gun owners are repeat guyers, that came to 350 Ellwood residents, he said. “That’s 5 percent of the Ellwood community who might be their customers,” he told the councilmembers. “You’ve failed 95 percent of the Ellwood community and 95 percent of all of Goleta who would never ever set foot on this property.”

As for the gun store location’s community commercial zoning, he read from the city’s General Plan that such zoning “designates relatively small commercial centers, meant to supply everyday convenience goods and services to nearby residential neighborhoods. The core purpose is to satisfy daily routine needs.” To laughter from his neighbors, Ashby continued, “We all used the 7-Eleven. Crappy as it was, we all used the 7-Eleven.” A gun store did not fit the zoning rule he’d just read and should be moved immediately, he said.

Dan Ashton had tried to move into two locations in industrial zones, but he believes Goleta interpreted city and state building and fire codes incorrectly in denying one place and delaying on the other so long that it was scooped out from under him. “I did my own research,” Ashton said. “Thirteen other businesses in the vicinity had been given business licenses without site plans.” He’d had to hire two architects to prepare mechanical, electric, plumbing, trash bin, and manhole elevation drawings, which cost him $20,000. “No other business had to go there,” he said.

He noted that he’d sold more than 11,270 firearms since he’s been in business, which put the 32 used in crimes at 0.28 percent of his total sales. Security at his new building is better than at the last, which he’d shared with another business. It’s a standalone building with a fence surrounding it, which helps a lot, he said. Ashton’s difficulties with the city even got the sympathy of the neighbors at a meeting held on August 3. He said he’s gotten calls of support and that customers who’ve stopped by have supported him, too. “They’re happy with the new location,” he said. “It’s a larger space, and it’s got plentiful parking.”

Ashton had an online call with the city manager and planning director about the new location after the neighborhood meeting in early August. “They basically asked me to move,” he said. “I explained that I have hundreds of thousands of dollars invested in this location. I just can’t go further in debt to honor their request.”

The city manager, Robert Nisbet, announced during the council meeting that they’d have 7443 Hollister on the next agenda, September 1, and would be able to discuss zoning for firearms, the city’s options, and more restrictions.

Corrections: The statistic on potential gunshop patrons originally left out that two-thirds of purchasers are repeat buyers, which is how the percentage reaches 5 percent. This version also adds information from the City of Goleta that Ashton did not complete his business license application for a South Kellogg location; it was not denied.