Moscow council approves site-specific exception to allow indoor airsoft facility at 105 Louder Avenue

The Moscow City Council on Nov. 3 approved a resolution granting a site-specific exception to Moscow City Code §10-3-3 to permit an indoor airsoft facility at 105 Louder Avenue.

City staff presented the request and legal background, noting the city code bans the discharge of firearms or weapons within city limits and lists “handguns, rifles, pellet guns, air rifles, BB guns, slingshots … and other projectiles.” Staff told the council the prohibition appears aimed at preventing errant projectiles in public spaces and that the proposed indoor airsoft operation — which uses lightweight plastic projectiles propelled by air or electronic means — does not appear to present the public-safety risk the section was intended to address. Staff prepared a resolution-style permit for the council to adopt, and noted any permit the council grants may be revoked by council action.

Bill Beltnap, the staff presenter, summarized the code’s history and the mechanics of the requested exception. He told the council the earliest form of the prohibition dates to 1888 (ordinance number 25) and the code was broadened in 1984 to explicitly include pellet/BB-type devices and other projectiles.

Council members questioned whether council approval would apply only to the specific location or to the operator, and whether permission would transfer automatically if the business changed ownership. Beltnap answered that the exception was specific to the property and its approved use; a new owner operating the same use at the same location would not, in staff’s view, require a fresh council action, but moving the operation to a different site or a substantially different use would require separate council consideration.

Council members also discussed neighborhood context: the proposed 105 Louder Avenue location is in an existing commercial building (a portion of Brown’s Furniture Center) near a busy intersection and is across the street from an alternative high school. Some members noted the proximity to the Moscow Police Department as a mitigating factor for public-safety concerns.

Councilmember Julia moved to approve the resolution; the motion was seconded (second not individually named). In the roll call, council voted 4–2 to approve the exception. Voting yes were Julia, Hailey, Gina and Drew; voting no were Sandra and Bryce. The mayor announced the resolution passed "4 to 2."

The action grants a location-specific permit that the council may revoke and does not change the city code citywide. Staff will issue the permit with the conditions set by the council and monitor compliance.

Council minutes and the permit resolution will state any conditions the council attached and the process for revocation.