Washington Post Follow-up Story on NOVA Armory vs. NoVA Gun Ban Legislators

The Washington Post has this piece that gives another side to the battle between a new gun shop and seven northern Virginia legislators seek to create gun shop free zones.  You may recall last week this blog shared the story of seven gun ban legislators trying to bully the landlord of a new gun shop trying to get the landlord to not rent to Dennis R. Pratte, owner of NOVA Armory.  The new story features a photo of the owner's daughter Lauren, which her dad calls the "owner in training," and gives his response to the letter and the neighborhood activists:

“The actions of these local crazies against our business is approaching the level of ‘tortious interference,’ ” the news release quotes Lauren Pratte as saying. “If you’ve posted on Facebook, agitated people on the local community’s online forum, made harassing phone calls, or sent angry emails designed to interfere with our business relationship with our landlord, you are on my attorneys’ list. So if you don’t see NOVA Armory open for business, you better worry about seeing us in court.”

Pratte is the former owner of NOVA Firearms, which was embroiled in its own battle last year, and My Gun Factory in McLean which is now closed.  For their part, the agitators aren't happy with the possibility of being sued for trying to keep a legal business from opening.

According to the Post, it appears that unlike the other businesses in the location that NOVA Firearms was originally going to move its shop, the other tenants in the location that NOVA Armory plans to locate are keeping their powder dry in this fight so far.

Karen Taylor Soiles, a physical therapist who rents space in the same three-story commercial building where Nova Armory intends to open, said her landlord and most other tenants are avoiding discussion about the shop, although it’s the prime topic at every neighborhood gathering.

VSSA will continue to monitor this and keep members informed as new developments occur.