Mark Glavin credits his wife and mother for the business he was proposing to open. They had indicated to him that many women feel intimidated in traditional gun stores—so Glavin made plans to open a gun shop and range that was female-friendly.
Last month, as the Daily Herald reported, Glavin presented his proposal to the Elgin, Ill., planning and zoning commission, and it was unanimously approved. However, when the Elgin City Council reviewed the proposal this week, councilors rejected it. The Chicago Tribune stated that officials sided with people who lived near the location and who had opposed the range.
The paper quoted one resident, Marlene Shales, as saying that “if guns are allowed there, guns will be allowed anywhere.” Unfortunately, that fear-inspired thinking will deny moms like Joy Simmons the chance to enjoy the range time and classes that the gun shop would have offered. “I'm the type of person this business hopes to attract,” Simmons had noted. “A young mother, with another child on the way.”
