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Arlingtonians object again to a gun store’s plans to open a retail shop Another gun shop tries to open in liberal Arlington. Outcry ensues.
(about 1 hour later)
Residents of Arlington’s Lyon Park neighborhood may live just across Route 50 from a long-standing military base, but they say they won’t stand for a retail gun store that plans to open just a block away, across the street from a preschool and day-care center.Residents of Arlington’s Lyon Park neighborhood may live just across Route 50 from a long-standing military base, but they say they won’t stand for a retail gun store that plans to open just a block away, across the street from a preschool and day-care center.
Nova Armory, which says its new store will be the largest sporting arms dealer inside the Beltway, received a permit from Arlington County on Thursday for a ground-floor space at 2300 N. Pershing Dr. Nova Armory, which says its new store will be the largest sporting arms dealer inside the Capital Beltway, received a certificate of occupancy Thursday for a ground-floor space at 2300 N. Pershing Drive.
But Arlington’s famously liberal residents, who just became aware of the store Wednesday evening, immediately began objecting on their neighborhood email list, in calls and emails to the county government and on an online petition. After becoming aware of the planned store Wednesday evening, Arlington’s famously liberal residents immediately began objecting — launching an online petition, posting to their neighborhood email list and contacting their county government.
The outcry is similar to the one raised last May when a similarly-named retailer, Nova Firearms, attempted to open a gun store in the Cherrydale/Maywood section of Arlington.
[With little recourse in gun-friendly Va., Arlington resists store opening][With little recourse in gun-friendly Va., Arlington resists store opening]
“I walk by there three or four times a day and I saw no notice,” said Sasha Cohen, who said she is “a very strong” gun-control advocate. “This is a very highly populated residential neighborhood. We have neighborhood meetings about all kinds of issues — someone opening a sushi restaurant had one with us — so why would we not hear about this in advance?” Sasha Cohen, who described herself as “a very strong” gun-control advocate, said she walks by the Pershing Drive site “three or four times a day, and I saw no notice” that a gun store was coming. “This is a very highly populated residential neighborhood,” Cohen said. “We have neighborhood meetings about all kinds of issues — someone opening a sushi restaurant had one with us — so why would we not hear about this in advance?”
The reason, Arlington County officials say, is that unless there’s a change in the land use, no notice is required. Dennis Pratte, who is listed as the permit holder on the occupancy permit, applied Jan. 20. Neither Pratte, the listed owners Richard P. and Norma P. Taylor, nor the landlord, Arlington Development Consulting Group, returned calls for comment Thursday. The reason, Arlington County officials say, is that unless there’s a change in the land use, no notice is required when a new store wants to open. The application for the occupancy permit, lists Dennis Pratte as the permit holder and Richard P. and Norma P. Taylor as store owners. Neither Pratte, the Taylors nor the landlord, Arlington Development Consulting Group, returned calls for comment Thursday.
A text message from the phone of the Nova Armory listing said Pratte is simply helping with the buildout. The store, it said, will focus on skeet, trap and hunting arms and is a “safe, family-friendly sporting arms business.” A text message sent fromthe phone number listed on the permit said the store will focus on skeet, trap and hunting arms and is a “safe, family-friendly sporting arms business.”
“We have passed all our federal, state and county inspections,” the text said. “We cater to a niche market and look forward to being a contributor to our local community.”“We have passed all our federal, state and county inspections,” the text said. “We cater to a niche market and look forward to being a contributor to our local community.”
The text messager, who declined to identify himself or herself by name, said the firearms purchased at the store will cost between $10,000 and $100,000, and the store is “not interested in firearms that attract the wrong clientele. We are an asset to the community and look forward to proving that to the concerned citizens.” The text messager, who declined to identify himself, said the store will sell guns priced between $10,000 and $100,000 and is “not interested in firearms that attract the wrong clientele. We are an asset to the community and look forward to proving that to the concerned citizens.”
The county knew that the certificate of occupancy was likely to be controversial. On the application, it cited a deputy county manager who told the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development to “treat as any other retail shop.” County officials appeared to know the the store would be controversial. There is a note to the Department of Community Planning, Housing and Development on the application saying they should treat the application “as any other retail shop.”
The office of the Arlington County Board fielded more than 30 phone calls and emails on the news Thursday, and the board is preparing a letter to residents explaining its limitations under Virginia law, where the state constitution asserts “the right of the people to keep and bear arms” and where state law prohibits local governments from adopting any law or policy “governing the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage or transporting of firearms, ammunition.” The office of the Arlington County Board fielded more than 30 phone calls and emails about the store on Thursday, and was preparing a a letter to residents explaining that there are few options available to keep the store from opening under Virginia law, which prohibits local governments from adopting any law or policy “governing the purchase, possession, transfer, ownership, carrying, storage or transporting of firearms, ammunition.”
A Change.org petition started late Wednesday, a few hours after Arlnow, a local news web site, broke the news. By midafternoon Thursday, more than 600 people had signed the petition. Numerous commenters said they don’t feel safe with a gun store in the neighborhood, or so close to a preschool. Several said they would boycott other businesses along the street if the gun store opens. More than 600 people have signed a Change.org petition opposing the store that was launched late Wednesday, a few hours after Arlnow.org, a local news web site, broke the news that the store was coming.
Numerous commenters on the petition said they don’t feel safe with a gun store in the neighborhood, or so close to a preschool. Several said they would boycott other businesses along the street if the gun store opens.
“This is not the kind of business we want in this neighborhood,” Naomi Harris of Arlington wrote on the petition. “We acknowledge the gun store’s legal right to be here, but they are not wanted.”“This is not the kind of business we want in this neighborhood,” Naomi Harris of Arlington wrote on the petition. “We acknowledge the gun store’s legal right to be here, but they are not wanted.”
The objections raised this week are similar to those raised last May when a similarly-named retailer, Nova Firearms, attempted to open a gun store in the Cherrydale/Maywood section of Arlington. The store never opened because the landlord ultimately refused to rent the space to the store. But a few blocks away, National Pawnbrokers has been selling firearms for years. The gun store planned for the Cherrydale/Maywood section of Arlington never opened, because the landlord ultimately refused to rent the space to the store. But a few blocks away from that site, National Pawnbrokers has been selling firearms for years.