The Castle Rock Town Council voted late Tuesday night to allow the open carry of firearms in town-owned buildings and parks.

The measure will go in effect in 30 days.

Council heard several hours of public comment for the second week in a row concerning the repeal of the firearm open-carry ban before its vote.

Shortly before 11 p.m., council voted 4-3 to repeal the ban.

The three opposed were councilmen Clark Hammelman, Chip Wilson and Mark Heath.

“My point-of-view is to restore the constitutional rights to the people of Castle Rock,” said Mayor Paul Donahue.

Wilson and Heath said the matter was too large and contentious for the seven-member body

“This should go out on a ballot vote,” Heath said.

Many speakers who addressed council Tuesday night spoke at the previous meeting concerning the ban.

The town’s former law, which had been on the books since 2003, allowed the town manager to mandate where open carry was allowed when it came to town owned property.

In December, council directed staff to develop an ordinance allowing open carry.

Members of the public who spoke Tuesday in favor of repealing the ban told the council that open carry was a Second Amendment right, while those against the repeal said it is a safety and intimidation issue.

Both sides asked their representative to do what was right for their district and town.

Ryan Parker: 303-954-2409, rparker@denverpost.com or twitter.com/ryanparkerdp