The Goleta ordinance temporarily prohibiting new firearm and ammunition retailers has been extended into 2027.

The Goleta City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to make the ordinance effective through Sept. 4, 2027, while city staff researches more permanent regulations.  

“I appreciate how rapidly you guys responded,” Councilman Stuart Kasdin said. 

The initial urgency ordinance was enacted in September, after community backlash over the relocation of Goodland Guns from Old Town Goleta to 7443 Hollister Ave., next to Here We Grow Early Learning Center.

When the urgency ordinance first went into effect, it was approved for 45 days and set to expire at the end of October, according to Anne Wells, advance planning manager.

The temporary moratorium does not impact the two existing gun retailers operating in the city. The businesses are still allowed to relocate under the ordinance, following the usual process.

There were no pending firearm retailers seeking city approval when the ordinance went into effect in September, according to Wells.

When Goodland Guns relocated, the city’s zoning regulations classified firearms and ammunition retailers as general retail and did not have specific standards, permitting requirements or locational criteria for the businesses, according to the city staff report.

While some community members have been vocal at meetings to oppose the Goodland Guns move and talk about new regulations for firearm and ammunition retailers, Tuesday night was quiet. 

Mary Nishimoto, a longtime Ellwood resident, was the only public speaker, and she applauded city staff for its research and called for inspection and enforcement resources to be “baked” into policy. 

“I, like many neighbors, want Goodland Guns to relocate to a site in Goleta, away from sensitive locations,” she said.

Goleta city staff proposed the urgency ordinance to allow time for research into the city’s zoning and regulations under the Second Amendment.

Staff also deemed the ordinance “necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, safety and general welfare,” according to the city staff report. 

Without the urgency ordinance, the city could approve new applications for firearm and ammunition retailers that could conflict with possible zoning amendments and have “secondary impacts” because of location, according to a city staff report.

The City Council also received a progress report from city staff regarding research while the urgency ordinance has been in place, as required by state law.

Since September, planning and environmental review department staff have been updating their database on sensitive uses and reviewing potential distancing buffers to possibly inform permanent regulations in the future, according to the progress report. 

City staff also have looked at permitting requirements, according to the report.