The Riverhead Town Board voted to approve a resolution to hold a public hearing on whether the town should consider banning gun stores, ranges and gunsmiths from a section of Main Street.

Riverhead Town Council members unanimously agreed to hold the public hearing in two weeks about firearms zoning downtown.

According to the zoning and land development proposal, one of the reasons the ban is being considered is because they want to revitalize parts of downtown and gear it toward families and tourists. Some believe a firearms business would conflict with that.

Joseph Oliver, owner of JJ Armory, says he thought the money he spent to secure permits and a location for a gun store in downtown Riverhead were on their way to being signed off on by town officials.

"We then found out through the grapevine that the town wants to change zoning and make it so no gun stores can be on Main Street," Oliver says.

The proposal would ban gun dealers, firing ranges and gunsmiths from setting up shop in the DC 1 zoning district, which includes parts of East Main Street from past Ostrander Avenue to Griffing Avenue. This is where Oliver wants to put his store.

Oliver says his store would be very secure, secluded with no windows and nobody able to see inside.

"We thought it was going to be the safest and most secure place," Oliver says.

Before any ban is approved by the town, the public will voice their opinions about the issue on June 21 at Town Hall.