Today’s round of questions, my smart-aleck replies and the real answers:

Question: I hope I’m not abusing your inbox with my questions, but I have a new one that is of major interest to me and I would imagine all the parents and families living in the Fairview area. On my morning commute to take my kids to their kindergarten and elementary schools off of 74A (Charlotte Highway), I saw a sign for a new business that was going to replace the old Rust and Found antique shop, near the intersection of Charlotte Highway and Cane Creek Road. At first, I was excited to see a new business in the area, but then upon closer inspection I saw that it was a gun store. I’m not opposed to people owning guns, particularly for hunting purposes, but it struck me as alarming and upsetting that a gun store was going to be opening about a mile from our largest elementary school, Fairview Elementary, and about a half-mile from my kid’s kindergarten school, Mighty Oaks Montessori. I thought surely there must be some kind of restriction on where gun stores can open and particularly their proximity to businesses like schools, daycares, and kindergartens. As a parent, it’s already frustrating enough to have to worry about the safety of our children when they go to school, but it seems particularly cruel to serve up that reminder to parents every morning as they’re driving their kids to school.

My answer: Sir, my inbox is virtually abuse-proof, so I can assure you that you’re violating no government codes and certainly not any Answer Man standards.

Real answer: First of all, let me give the actual distances involved. The new gun shop, Mountain West Firearms, is located at 1484-A Charlotte Highway, 1.1 miles from Fairview Elementary (on Charlotte Highway), .6 of a mile from the Montessori School (also on Charlotte Highway), and 3.9 miles from Cane Creek Middle School on Cane Creek Road.

Gun shops do not fall under particularly onerous restrictions on where they can and cannot locate.

Buncombe County spokesperson Lillian Govus told me via email, “Buncombe County does not have any regulations in our local code pertaining to this matter.”

She directed me to UNC-Chapel Hill’s School of Government and a May 2023 article by David W. Owens titled, “Planning and Development Regulation, Guns Sales and Shooting Ranges.”

“Since 1994, federal law has required applicants for federal firearms licenses to certify that ‘the business to be conducted under the license is not prohibited by state or local law in the place where the licensed premise is located,’” Owens wrote. “This federal-licensing process for places selling firearms includes a zoning-compliance review.”

He also noted that in 1996, the General Assembly “established a policy of uniform state standards for a number of local regulations on guns, including restricting local zoning control of various aspects of gun sales.”

“Under General Statute 14-409.40, zoning regulations must treat the sale of firearms the same as any other commercial activity and must treat firearm shows the same as any other commercial show; more-restrictive regulations cannot be applied on the basis of firearm sales,” Owens wrote. “This law does provide some flexibility to address safety concerns near schools. It allows zoning regulations to require a special use permit for any commercial activity within a set distance from a school as well as adoption of a permit standard that the uses must not pose a danger to the health, safety, or welfare of those attending the school.”

The federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives does not set a distance requirement on gun stores or those holding a federal firearms license and schools.

The ATF website states: “Generally, it is unlawful for any individual to knowingly possess a firearm within a school zone. A school zone is defined as being within a distance of 1,000 feet from the grounds of a public, parochial or private school. This prohibition does not apply to the possession of a firearm on private property not part of school grounds such as a [Federal Firearms License’s] business premise (e.g. commercial storefront, residence or driveway).”

I stopped by the store and talked with executive manager Robert Wareham and his wife, Jennifer Holschuh, the chief operating officer and general manager. The store is not fully open, but they plan for a soft opening June 1 and a formal grand opening over July 4.

Wareham said the current location will be temporary, as they plan to build a larger facility near Charlotte Highway and I-40, off of Gashes Creek Road.

“I have a two-year lease (here), with an option for a third from the owners here,” Wareham said. “They were thrilled to have us come in, and the reception from the public here, it’s just been overwhelming.”

He suggested my reader has “the typical liberal disconnect” when it comes to guns. 

“No criminal is coming to a gun shop to buy,” Wareham said, noting that they will store their guns in a vault at night to prevent theft. “We don’t want illegal guns on the street any more than (my reader) or anyone else.”

Wareham said they’ve been “inundated by goodwill,” and he suggested my reader is in “the extreme minority.” He said even before they’ve opened they’ve gotten a lot of inquiries, but not necessarily about buying guns.

“The No. 1 thing they’re looking for is training,” Wareham said. “They want to feel more comfortable and safer handling their firearms.”

The building is set up for a small “academy” in the back for classes, including “weaponless” self-defense classes. They will teach Taser courses, as well as offer ham radio classes.

Wareham said they’re in full compliance with laws and regulations.

“This will not endanger (people),” he said. “It’s not like we’re putting guns out here on display that people can get at. They’re secured. They’re unloaded.”

Wareham says they plan to stay in the current location while building the new facility, which will feature a shop, meeting space and 16 range lanes for shooters. The facility will be called “The Range at Mountain West.”

He said he believes there’s a strong demand for another firing range in town, as the nearest one is at On Target in south Asheville, off Sweeten Creek Road.

Besides complying with all federal laws, Wareham said, they also will not sell to anyone that they find suspicious. 

Question: (John Boyle speaking here) During the power outage last weekend, a friend of mine about a mile away texted me to say he and his wife and son were sitting on their back porch and kept seeing “strange lights flying over.” They were flying in the same pattern, moving much faster than planes and generally moving from west to east. In all, they counted about 30. He also sent me a video in which I could see a couple of very fast-moving white lights. I also spotted one while sitting in my backyard. Between the electromagnetic storm theory about the outage, which I wrote about Tuesday, this adds another layer of weirdness. We both suggested we’re being probed by aliens, or maybe China. And we both agreed it would make a good Answer Man question. So, just what the heck were those white lights?

My answer: Just for the record, I’m writing this from the Andromeda Galaxy on a very fast moving spaceship. Lots of craft beer and burgers, so I’m pretty sure these are friendly aliens. I’m just glad they didn’t say, “Take us to your leader.”

Real answer: UNC-Asheville physics and astronomy professor Britt Lundgren took this one on.

“I can say with some confidence that the string of fast-moving white lights was a recently launched set of Starlink satellites (providers of SpaceX’s satellite internet service),” Lundgren said via email. “Starlink satellites are launched in groups, and SpaceX launched a group of 26 on May 16.”

We were all sitting in the dark last Saturday night, May 17, so that tracks. The launch occurred in California.

“Soon after launch, Starlink satellites resemble a line or chain of unblinking white dots in the sky,” Lundgren said. Their brightness is caused by sunlight reflecting off their surfaces, which makes them brightest soon after sunset and before sunrise. 

”“They slowly separate from each other in low-earth orbit and then become more spread out and fainter as they find their positions in higher orbits.”

We should’ve known Elon Musk was to blame!

Lundgren noted that more than 8,600 Starlink satellites are in orbit now, “and a couple of them are almost always above our horizon.”

“They’re only designed to last for about five years, after which point they de-orbit and burn up in the Earth’s atmosphere,” Lundgren said. “So, Answer Man readers should expect to see many more artificial ‘shooting stars’ in the coming years!”

I’ve seen the full-blown Starlink chain of blinking lights twice, in Fletcher and Yellowstone National Park. Both times, it was pretty awesome.

Of course, there is a downside to the satellites falling back to Earth.

“Under certain conditions, this space junk may not completely burn up and dense pieces can make it to the ground,” Lundgren said. “A report by the U.S. Government Accountability Office in 2022 quoted a study that predicted ‘having a total of 15,968 satellites in low-Earth orbit by 2030 with 2,413 reentries per year could result in approximately a 1:4 human casualty risk” (i.e., one human casualty for every four reentering satellites)!”

Yikes! Lundgren put it this way:

“So I would say, it’s a prettier sight to see them going up than coming down!”

Agreed.

Update on Barley’s Taproom: In early April I fielded a question about the Barley’s Taproom & Pizzeria, as the beloved Asheville restaurant had been closed since the fall, after Helene devastated the area and foot traffic dried up. 

Katie Hild, Barley’s marketing director, said then they hoped to get the upstairs back open soon. Well, that day came May 16. 

Barley’s Upstairs has officially reopened at 42 Biltmore Ave.

“We’ve given the Upstairs a refresh — but don’t worry, it still has that old-school Asheville vibe you know and love,” a news release said. “The space has been spruced up with beautiful new lounge seating, a brand-new cocktail menu, unique liquor and wine offerings, and even a shuffleboard table. And yes, pool, darts, and one of the best beer selections in town are still going strong.”

Hild noted that reopening one part of Barley’s, which has been in operation for 31 years, “feels like a meaningful step forward” for the community.

“While the downstairs pizzeria and taproom remain temporarily closed, we’re looking ahead with optimism and hope to welcome folks back to the full Barley’s experience in the near future,” the release said.

Barley’s Upstairs is open from 4 p.m. to 1 a.m., Thursdays through Sundays.

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Asheville Watchdog is a nonprofit news team producing stories that matter to Asheville and Buncombe County. Got a question? Send it to John Boyle at jboyle@avlwatchdog.org or 828-337-0941. His Answer Man columns appear each Tuesday and Friday. The Watchdog’s reporting is made possible by donations from the community. To show your support for this vital public service go to avlwatchdog.org/support-our-publication/

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