LYNN — Littleton gun dealer Cory Daigle’s request to open a firearm factory and store on the Lynnway is facing pushback from local officials.
Next Tuesday, Feb. 21, the Zoning Board of Appeals will hear Daigle’s petition to develop a firearm manufacturing, assembly, and sales facility on a lot of land located at 210-218 Blossom Street Extension.
Daigle, a 28-year-old Federal Firearms Licensee from Revere, faces federal charges for possessing a machine gun, and for allegedly selling firearms knowingly to a “straw buyer” who purchased Glock handguns for an underaged individual.
The guns were found after the underage man, 20-year-old Gustavo Rodriguez, was involved in a shooting in Hyde Park in November 2022 that injured three people. A federal investigation led to Daigle’s arrest for conspiracy to make false statements with respect to the acquisition of a firearm and possession of a machine gun Jan. 19.
Daigle, the proprietor of Steelworks Defense Solutions, a Littleton gun store, allegedly sold the guns to Shakim Grant, 21, of Boston, knowing that they were intended for someone else, District Attorney Rachel Rollins said.
“Straw purchases are serious crimes that result in deadly firearms getting into the hands of people the law strictly prohibits from having them. We need to prosecute straw purchasers with the same zeal we often have for end users,” Rollins said in a written statement. “That one of these defendants [Daigle] holds an FFL and has been authorized to sell firearms should be an eye opener to many.”
In December, Mayor Jared Nicholson introduced a new zoning ordinance that allowed for mixed-use retail and industrial businesses on the waterfront. In a written statement, Nicholson said that the proposal was not in line with Lynn’s vision for growth.
“The City of Lynn needs growth, but we need growth that is in line with our values,” Nicholson said. “This proposal does not fit that criteria and does not belong in our community.”
School Committee member Donna Coppola said she plans to speak in objection to Daigle’s petition next Tuesday. Daigle’s federal charges, and the site’s close proximity to numerous schools, she said, make it an inappropriate development for the area.
“ The number of schools we have in that area is concerning to me. Within a mile, I’ve counted 10 schools and daycares in that area. I think it just doesn’t belong here,” Coppola said.
Ward 6 City Councilor Fred Hogan founded Stop the Violence, an organization that urges Lynn youth not to engage with street violence. He said that his ward does not want a gun manufacturing facility, and plans to write a letter of objection to the zoning board.
“As the Ward Councilor and Founder of Stop the Violence Lynn, I am not in favor of this business and will send a letter to the zoning board,” Hogan said. “This is not a business we want in our Ward 6.”
Lynn’s Economic Development and Industrial Corporation [EDIC] opposes the petition as well. EDIC Executive Director Jim Cowdell said that Daigle’s arrest brings his character into question.
“With the recent arrest of the petitioner, we are opposed, as this brings the character into question. To sell guns, there can not be any issues surrounding the integrity of the person selling these weapons. Until these charges are cleared up, I don’t see how the city could ever consider granting the request,” Cowdell said.
Daigle could not be immediately reached for comment.
