SALISBURY — Selectmen have settled the town's gun shop controversy: The town's elementary school will now be bracketed by two gun shops.
One shop is at a long-established location, 90 Lafayette Road, but with a slightly new name: The Original Bob's Indoor Public Shooting Range and Gun Shop.
The second will be at a new location, 124B Lafayette Road, with a well-known name: Bob's Tactical Gun Shop. It will, however, no longer have an indoor shooting range.
In between is Salisbury Elementary School.
The confusion that resulted initially from the split between former associates who once all worked out of the 90 Lafayette Road location was laid to rest at the recent selectmen's meeting. But the result is one gun shop has multiplied into two.
When the situation first presented itself weeks ago, it unnerved selectmen, who faced hosting two gun shops within three-tenths of a mile of each other, with roughly 700 children at the local elementary school in between. The school itself has not publicly registered a complaint about the two gun shops.
On Monday, however, with all their questions answered, selectmen agreed unanimously to approve a license amendment at the new site. They did not express displeasure with the newly named shop at the old location.
Bob Bernstien, the former owner of Bob's Tactical, explained to selectmen the history of ownerships of his property at 90 Lafayette, which he still owns, and gun shop businesses, which eventually passed to its current owner, attorney Robert Forrest, about a year ago. Forrest was evicted from Bernstien's location a few months ago and moved to 124B Lafayette, taking the name of the business with him.
Bernstien and his longtime colleague, Jim Balou, are reopening a new gun shop, the Original Bob's, at his 90 Lafayette Road site, once the firing range is updated, he told selectmen. Balou already has the proper state and federal licenses to teach and sell firearms and ammunition at the store, according to Salisbury police Sgt. Kevin Sullivan. Bernstien is about halfway through his licensing process. Once that process and the modernization of the indoor shooting range are complete, he and Balou will be back to business as usual at the 90 Lafayette Road location.
Sullivan said Forrest also has the proper licenses to teach and sell firearms and ammunition. After confirming he isn't going to open a shooting range at his new location, Forrest received approval for his amended Salisbury business license, which now carries a different address.
Sullivan told selectmen both business have proper security to deter break-ins.
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