In an idyllic neighborhood, at the end of a dead-end street, sits a neatly kept home, one among a number of attractive homes with tidy yards.

The home of Michael and Rachel Marinos fits right in. But some of the neighbors are concerned about a home occupation Michael wants to launch as a sideline to his regular job.

The application is for Bigg Dogg Firearms, which would provide rifle and handgun transfers via internet sales transactions. According to the notice of application, customers would purchase firearms over the internet and Bigg Dogg would provide the transfer to pre-approved recipients.

Issaquah senior planner Jerry Lind said a decision on the application could come soon. Lind said code allows up to 20 visits a day to a home business, but one customer coming and going counts as two visits. The application states that transfers would be by appointment and that the applicants don’t expect more than four visits per month.

Michael Marinos, who served in the Navy, is now a contractor who has been working in Iraq and Afghanistan most of the time since 2004.

“It’s primarily internet sales,” said Rachel Marinos. “I can guarantee you there will be no noticeable traffic to our home.”

She said she sees Fed-Ex and UPS trucks coming and going on the street all the time, so she doesn’t see a problem. She said Michael would eventually like to have a brick and mortar location.

Michael, via e-mail from Afghanistan, said once he is approved as an FFL holder he will be able to transfer the license to another location.

“I need the FFL in order to get registered with various suppliers. Once I return home, my plan is to establish a brick and mortar location. Until I do return home no business can be conducted because the license is only in my name. To question the logic behind this, I guess everyone has to start someplace,” he said.

With three children at home, including their daughter who designed the company logo, Rachel stressed that they keep everything locked up in their house. She said Michael was more concerned when the letter regarding their application went out to neighbors because now people know they have guns in their home.

She said far greater offenses in the neighborhood include high school students driving at speeds up to 85 mph on streets where kids are playing.

Dave Kappler served on the city council for 18 years and lives about a block and a half away from the Marinos’ home.

“I don’t think this was something the city council ever dreamed would be an appropriate home business,” Kappler said.

He added he doesn’t think Bigg Dogg Firearms is appropriate for the neighborhood either.

“Gun places are targets for burglaries,” he said. “Banks have security, but gun stores are notorious for break-ins.”

He also noted that it wouldn’t help the neighborhood in terms of home values, either.

Nancy Whitaker, president of Life Enrichment Options, which operates three homes for the developmentally disabled in Issaquah, said the oldest of the three homes, Rose Home, is almost next door to the Marinos residence. Rose Home, which has been there for about 10 years, has five residents, with two full-time caregivers.

“We have concerns about the nature of the business and the traffic,” Whitaker said. “There’s already a lot of foot traffic and lots of kids.”

Whitaker said she is not against gun rights, but she thinks a commercial location would be more appropriate for this type of business.

“Also, there’s something in the code about hazardous materials,” Whitaker said. “What about ammunition?”

Michael Marinos added that the FFL permit is solely for a firearms transfer service to only buyers that have passed the same background check as they would in any licensed gun shop.

“The difference between a gun shop and a transfer service is I do not carry any inventory,” he said.

Michael Marinos said he believes that neighbors have a “misconception” of his intent even though it has been documented and is available as public record.

“As I had stated in my last series of answers to the City of Issaquah, there are more hunters and sportsmen in and around the city with more weapons than I will have,” he said.