Falmouth residents oppose AR-15 deal between police and gun store

FALMOUTH — Residents are concerned that a deal between the Falmouth Police Department and Powderhorn Outfitters in Hyannis may end up placing semi-automatic weapons in the wrong hands.

The deal entails the police department buying 38 semi-automatic weapons from Powderhorn Outfitters, and trading in 21 semi-automatic weapons, 20 of which are AR-15s, to receive credit toward the purchase.

Over 300 Falmouth residents signed a petition for the town to dismantle and destroy the police department’s surplus weapons rather than trade them in, said the Rev. Deborah Warner, who created the petition.

Town Counsel Maura O’Keefe advised the Select Board at a June 6 meeting that the contract, which was signed by the town manager, is legally binding.

The deal was approved by Acting Town Manager Peter Johnson-Staub after Powderhorn Outfitters agreed to only sell the weapons to local law enforcement, he said.

However, Richard Duby, president of the Falmouth Gun Safety Coalition, said despite assurances that only local law enforcement will handle these weapons, they still pose a public risk.

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“Unless people are under the delusional belief that these officers are going to keep these weapons for the rest of their lives, they will end up in the public sector,” he said.

Duby, as well as Warner, said local law enforcement officials could purchase the guns legally. They could then re-sell them to people in states where AR-15s are legal, or to a gun dealer who would then sell them out of state. That scenario could potentially put them in the hands of someone dangerous.

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Warner said the news about the deal between the Police Department and Powderhorn Outfitters became public around the time of a shooting in Uvalde, Texas which claimed the lives of 19 children and two teachers at the hands of a man with an AR-15 style assault rifle.

The shooting in Texas prompted Warner to act.

“We can’t stand back, everybody has to stand up and make their voices heard, especially around assault rifles,” said Warner.

She drew up the petition that urged the Select Board to destroy the weapons, rather than trade them in. The petition collected more than 300 signatures within 10 days, she said.

The petition was read at a recent Select Board meeting, along with speeches from Warner, Duby and others. Many of the people who signed the petition showed up to support it.

Select Board Vice-Chair Onjalé Scott Price said she appreciates the residents' energy and passion.

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“I know that people feel disappointed in the board for lack of action, or for maybe not taking action they wanted us to take," Scott Price said. "But I would like to let people know that their concerns were not ignored, and that we are taking careful consideration of our policies going forward."

Although it seems that the chapter regarding the deal has ended for now, said Warner, the energy and commitment brought by Falmouth residents regarding the topic of gun control mean that the conversation isn’t over.

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Duby also said that his coalition may work to get an article at the town meeting that would approve funding to buy the guns from Powderhorn Outfitters and then destroy them.

The Select Board is expected to bring the subject up again at a future meeting, Johnson-Staub said.

This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Falmouth residents oppose AR-15 rifle deal between police, gun store