The Santa Barbara County Board of Supervisors extended a moratorium on new gun retailers in the county’s unincorporated areas until August 2027.
The board extended its temporary moratorium by 10 months on Tuesday as the county continues to investigate restricting new gun stores near schools and other public spaces.
It was extended in a 4-1 vote, with Supervisor Bob Nelson voting against it. Supervisors Joan Hartmann, Laura Capps, Roy Lee and Steve Lavagnino voted in support of the item.
On Sept. 2, the board passed a 45-day moratorium restricting new gun retailers in response to news that a ew store had opened next door to a Goleta preschool and daycare facility, Here We Grow Early Learning Center.
The pause applies to new gun retailers, new business licenses, relocations and expansions of existing gun stores. Operating stores will not be affected.
The Goleta store, Goodland Guns, moved from its former location at 5731 Hollister Ave. to the former 7-Eleven building at 7443 Hollister Ave. in September. The store received its business license from the city in June.
Upon learning of the store’s new location, concerned parents protested the opening to the Goleta City Council. It passed an immediate, but temporary, ban on new stores at its Sept. 15 meeting.
Supervisors Hartmann and Capps later brought the issue to the board. Goodland Guns is in District 3, which Hartmann represents.
The county ordinance will not apply to Goleta but will apply to the county’s unincorporated area. The county confirmed in early September that it does not have any active applications for new gun stores.
The board directed county staff to investigate establishing a 1,000-foot buffer zone between gun retailers and public areas. Those areas would include schools and preschools, licensed childcare centers, parks, playgrounds, youth centers, child-serving facilities, and houses of worship.
In addition to exploring a buffer zone, county staff will develop a clear and consistent way to measure the zone around the protected areas.
The ordinance also would prohibit residential homes from being used as a gun retailer.
The new moratorium will last until Aug. 6, 2027.
