Southbury is considering whether to ban firearms at all town properties and on all town-owned land.

Residents lined up at the Board of Selectmen meeting to the auditorium of Pomperaug High School on Judd Road on Thursday night.

"I want to be safe when I go to a public place and a public meeting," Mary Ellen Cleary, of Southbury, told NBC Connecticut News.

After three hours of people pleading their cases, the Board of Selectmen ended the discussion because the school needed to be locked up. They've delayed a decision about whether the town should look into the potential ban until Nov. 16.

Town Democrats proposed the ordinance. During a meeting in October, several people spoke about the ordinance, expressing support or disapproval.

"The Constitution is not up for cherry picking. This is a right and people are trying to usurp a Constitutional right," Linda Czaplinski, of Oxford, said on Thursday night.



The Republican-American reports that advocates argue the ordinance would put everyone on an even playing field and several other nearby towns have ordinances, such as Ansonia, Meriden and East Haven.

"Gun-free zones actually invite criminals to carry, to come into the situation," one speaker said at the meeting.

The National Rifle Association is strictly opposing the ordinance and said it’s an attempt to turn the town into a gun-free zone.

"This is an attempt by misguided gun control activists to turn the town into a 'gun-free zone.' Time and again we have seen that gun-free zones leave law-abiding citizens as sitting ducks for criminals intent on doing us harm. The NRA is urging our members and supporters to oppose this ordinance," Catherine Mortensen, NRA spokesperson, said in a statement.

The NRA urged gun advocates to attend the meeting.

"The NRA, CCDL and their supporters say guns make us safer," another speaker said. "But that is simply not true."

