Some residents in south Oak Park are not pleased that a gun shop will be opening up on Roosevelt Road, and about 80 people came out to question the Berwyn resident who will soon open the doors to Windy City Firearms.

Owner Justin Delafuente joined Oak Park Police Chief Rick Tanksley and Roosevelt Road Business Association President Paul Zimmerman on a panel Tuesday night to field questions about the store, which is expected to open within two weeks. The forum at Irving Elementary School was hosted by the South East Oak Park Community Organization.

Many in the crowd opposed, or at least showed concern about, the prospect of a gun shop, which will be on Oak Park’s southern border on the 3800 block of Roosevelt Road. Delafuente was questioned repeatedly why he wanted to open the store, and his response was consistent: it’s within his rights.

“Obviously, there’s people that hate it, they are always going to hate it and it doesn’t matter what you say, what you’re going to do, how far away you are, 10 feet from a school, 10 miles from a school,” he said. “There’s always going to be those people, and they have a right to feel that way, but I also have a right to sell firearms.”

The store will only sell rifles and shotguns, which are ordered online and picked up in person. All purchasers are required to have a Firearm Owners Identification Card and go through a background check by the Illinois State Police. In response to concerns from the audience, he said he will not have a firing range, will not sell handguns and his intended clientele will be police officers and hunters.

From a police perspective, Tanksley said the primary concern is if someone tried to rob the shop to get at the guns. But the police chief said police and Delafuente were cooperating to ensure security is tight to avoid such issues.

“Given that’s it’s a reality that the store is gong to open, that weapons will be on site, that background checks will be done on the individuals that are here to pick up those weapons, there should be little to worry about at this point,” Tanksley said, adding that Delafuente has thus far done what the department has asked of him, such as installing reinforced doors and security cameras.

While not a part of the panel, Acting Village Attorney Simone Boutet fielded a handful of questions, mostly related to regulated Windy City Firearms or any future gun store. Concerning Delafuente’s store, her response was consistently that it is his constitutional right to open the business. As for other future gun shops, she said they could place some restrictions based on geographical location or number of shops in town. She was also questioned if the village could close the store outright, but responded that they could only revoke the license if Delafuente was found breaking the law or village code, such as selling to minors or felons.

Gun regulations are currently in the works, something the village has been working on since the Supreme Court overturned the village handgun ban in 2010.

When the business license was granted in October, Village Manager Tom Barwin said Delafuente seemed to be an “upstanding individual” who was cooperating with the village and met all requirements.

After the presentation, however, many remained in opposition to the store.

“I was struck by the disregard he has for what the village wants,” said resident Manning Peterson, who was concerned primarily about the nearby Morningside Children’s Academy, which is about a half-block east.

“My concerns have only gotten stronger,” added resident Jane Jeffries. “Oak Park doesn’t need the sales tax (revenue) so bad to need to open a gun store.”

Neighbor Mariana Cordova, meanwhile, said if Delafuente keeps his promises of toned-down signage, hours from 5 to 10 p.m., the lack of ammunition sales and follows Tanksley’s security recommendations, she will be “less hostile” to the store.

“If he follows through on those points, I’m certainly less concerned,” she said.

While the crowd was decidedly anti-gun, Delafuente did have some support in the crowd. Gun owner Doug Hills, who lives about three blocks from the store, said he supports responsible use and sales, something he thinks the owner is following through on. He added that he came to the meeting more to hear about potential village gun regulations.

“My concern is that the village doesn’t get into that slippery slop with the talk of more regulations and taking away people’s rights,” he said, adding that he supports current state regulations and safety protocols.

In the end, Delafuente said he was surprised by the reaction.

“The funny thing is you guys want to get more businesses in Oak Park, but the first thing everyone said to me is, ‘Why are you opening a business in Oak Park? Oak Park is anti-business,” he said. “That’s pretty sad.”