Aspiring gun sellers might find it harder to set up shop in San Antonio under a pair of proposed rules limiting where firearms could be sold throughout the city — part of a larger effort by local officials to fight gun violence in the wake of recent mass shootings.

One proposal would bar retailers and gun shows from selling firearms within 1,000 feet of a school or church. Another would allow new gun shops only in high-density commercial areas.

“We regulate alcohol and where it’s being sold, daycares, restaurants,” District 2 Councilman William “Cruz” Shaw said. “There’s a lot of different zoning criteria and not to have a firearm criteria doesn’t make any sense.”

Retailers and gun sellers have often taken center stage in the debate over firearms restrictions in the wake of mass shootings in Sutherland Springs; Parkland, Florida; and Santa Fe, Texas.

Earlier this year, Walmart raised its gun purchase age from 18 to 21, having already stopped selling semi-automatic rifles in 2015. Dick’s Sporting Goods followed suit in February after a gunman killed 17 students and staff members at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland. Kroger’s Fred Meyer stores initially raised its gun-selling age from 18 to 21 but later decided to phase out all gun sales.

Texas law bars cities from banning guns and sales of firearms and ammunition outright. But some San Antonio officials believe a provision of that law gives them the authority to dictate land use surrounding firearm sales.

“We’re pretty confident that’s there’s statutory authority for us to do something in the zoning realm,” deputy city attorney Edward Guzman said.

Opponents have decried the 1,000-foot rule and zoning proposals as ineffective methods of fighting gun violence.

“Those truly affected by municipal ordinances, no matter how well intentioned, are lawfully-operating businesses and their customers,” said Mike Bazinet, a spokesman for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. “Criminals will continue to get their guns as they always have - illegally.”

After a June briefing on what actions the city could take to address gun violence, city staff drafted the two proposals, which included definitions of “firearm,” “firearm sales” and “gunsmith” to insert into the city’s unified development code.

“We thought it might be appropriate to offer up certainly a solution whereas gun sales are pushed a little bit further away from neighborhoods,” said Michael Shannon, director of the city’s Development Services department.

About 60 gun stores currently operating in San Antonio would be in violation of the proposed rules but would be grandfathered in if council members approved them, Shaw said.

City staff are further researching the 1,000-foot buffer zone while organizing stakeholder meetings to court changes to the proposed zoning rules for gun retailers, city spokeswoman Thea Setterbo said. The latter would have to pass through the Zoning Commission before being presented to the full council.

The proposals would allow residents to have more of a say in whether a retailer that sells guns or ammunition sets up shop in their neighborhood by providing more information about proposed developments, Shaw said.

“The only way it would make it more difficult (to open a store) is if the people in that community speak up and say, ‘we don’t want it,’” Shaw said.

The number of violent crimes committed in San Antonio remained steady in 2017 but the per capita rate of violent crimes committed fell significantly, according to data recently released by the FBI’s Uniform Crime Reporting Program. The data shows 124 homicides were reported in San Antonio last year, 15 percent fewer than in 2016 but still one of the city’s deadliest years.

District 10 Councilman Clayton Perry, who opposes the 1,000-foot rule and zoning proposals, attributed that decrease to police efforts.

“I think that’s where our emphasis should be, not to be putting restrictions on where you can sell guns,” Perry said. “To me, that’s a feel good measure. It’s not anything that’s going to restrict purchase or sale of guns.”

Joshua Fechter is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering retail and tourism. Read him on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | jfechter@express-news.net | Twitter: @JFreports