Residents in Charlton voted overwhelmingly Monday to exempt the town’s administrative buildings from a state law banning the possession of guns on such properties.
The measure, a citizen’s petition, passed 481 to 161 during a Town Meeting, officials said in a statement posted to the municipal Facebook page.
The town’s Republican committee cheered the vote, praising residents for choosing “to protect our rights through the democratic process.”
“Tonight, Charlton showed what real community looks like,” the committee said in a statement after the measure passed.
Local officials have told the Worcester Telegram & Gazette, which first reported on the vote, that schools will remain off limits to guns, since they aren’t classified as administrative.
The petition exempts municipal buildings, properties, and parking areas from a state law banning guns at such places.
Under that law, people who carry a gun in a prohibited area can face a fine of as much as $1,000 and a maximum jail term of two and a half years, records show.
Prohibited areas include any place “owned, leased, or under the control of state, county or municipal government and used for the purpose of government administration, judicial or court administrative proceedings, or correctional services, including in or upon any part of the buildings, grounds, or parking areas thereof,” the statute says.
Law enforcement is exempt from the law.
It also says a municipality can vote “to exclude its administrative buildings from being a ‘prohibited area,’” which led to Monday night’s vote in Charlton.
Town Administrator Andrew M. Golas told the Telegram & Gazette that the exemption will take effect immediately pending review by the state attorney general’s office.
State officials said Wednesday that Town Meeting votes that amend a town’s bylaws must be submitted to the office’s Municipal Law Unit within 30 days.
The local Republican committee said turnout for the vote was so high that “the vote clickers ran out,” forcing some attendees to cast paper ballots.
One speaker, the committee added, made a “disturbing comment” suggesting violence against political opponents, but those remarks were drowned out by a chorus of boos, showing the central Massachusetts community “rejects” such rhetoric.
“We proved tonight that disagreements can be strong, but our commitment to civil debate, safety, and respect is even stronger,” the committee said. “We are proud of Charlton for showing up, speaking up, and standing up peacefully for what we believe in.”
The committee also thanked resident Nancy Pecore for bringing the petition, which had failed on a prior vote.
Pecore couldn’t immediately be reached for comment.
This story will be updated when more information is released.
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