Legislative Update with NRANews

Virginia House and Senate Democrats have introduced bills to create "gun store-free zones," another effort to shut down Nova Firearms' new location in McLean, Virginia. I had the opportunity to talk about this and other legislative action during yesterday's NRANews Cam and Company.  Legislation continues to move forward to maintain concealed carry permit reciprocity with 25 states that was abruptly terminated by Attorney General Mark Herring. Originally aired on Cam & Co 01/26/16.

Fairfax Supervisor Engineered NOVA Firearms Protests to Boost Election

You may recall earlier posts on this blog about the plight of NOVA Firearms when they attempted to move to a larger location in Arlington, then after their landlord canceled their lease, they found another location in Fairfax, not far from the location from which they were trying to move.  As they planned to open, protests flared because the new location was near a school.  New information has been discovered that shows a member of the Fairfax Board of Supervisors was behind the original protests in Arlington, then again in Fairfax.  Bearing Drift broke the story Monday:

According to Fairfax County email records obtained by Bearing Drift under a Freedom of Information Act request, School Board member Janie Strauss relayed news of the store’s opening to Foust at 10:28 AM on Sep. 25th. Shortly thereafter, Foust began investigating the store’s legality.

That evening, at 7:38 PM, John Foust emailed an issue briefing to local Democratic leaders, summarizing his research into the legality of the store’s placement and Fairfax County’s prior approval of its non-Residential Use Permit (RUP).

“The reviewer did not give anyone notice that a gun store was moving into McLean, but it also appears they did not know,” Foust explained in his briefing. “However, from a zoning standpoint, they would have issued the non-rup whether they knew it was guns or not because they have to.” 

The store’s non-RUP had been issued two weeks earlier in accordance with zoning classification C-8, which broadly permits “retail sales” – the correct classification for a gun store. As Foust explained, the permit was granted because the county lacked any legal basis to deny its issuance.

“State law pretty much prohibits the county from regulating guns,” said Foust, as he attached a verbatim copy of Va. Code § 15.2-915 in the group email to Democratic leaders.

On the day before the store’s opening, John Foust knew the county lacked legal options, but he didn’t let that stop his re-election campaign from exploiting the situation for political gain.

“I will join you at the protest,” Foust closed, as he began preparing for the morning’s political fray.
From the beginning, Foust repeatedly and personally attacked the store’s owners and landlord, stating, among his other attacks, that they lacked “decency and respect” while calling them “antagonistic to our community.”

Meanwhile, Foust’s supporters wasted no time in following the antagonistic example he set. One supporter, Victoria Manoogian, organized a boycott of the landlord’s business – not the gun store – while posting the landlord’s home address on the Internet, opening the door for harassment.

According to Bearing Drift, Foust was facing heavy criticism in his re-election campaign for not delivering funds for traffic congestion relief and public education. He needed something that would allow him to distract from those issues in the last month of the campaign and the NOVA Firearms store move provided just what he needed.

It's some pretty damning information uncovered by Bearing Drift complete with copies of emails so read the entire story.

Nova Firearms Facing Protests Again

You may recall that northern Virginia based NOVA Firearms attempted to move from it's McLean, Virginia location to a larger location in the People's Republic of Arlington only to have the new landlord buckle under pressure from the gun ban crowd and at the last minute have the lease voided.  The owner of the store, J.B. Gates, has found a new location about three miles from the current location that will allow him to expand and include classroom space for training.  Unfortunately, residents in the area don't think he should move his store because the new location is near an elementary school.  From WUSA9.

Fortunately for Gates, this time it appears the new landlord is standing by him.

Arlington Residents Seek to Stop Gun Shop from Opening

Saturday a week ago the Washington Post had this article about a group of residents in the city of Arlington, Virginia, attempting to stop NOVA Firearms owner James Gates from opening a location on Lee Highway in the city. Gates wants to open the shop because he has out grown his store in McLean and needs a second location.  The malcontent residents have started an online petition and the Post notes that it has already collected 17,000 signatures at the time of the article. The Post didn't report that not everyone who has signed the petition is against the store opening.  Signing the petition is the only way you can leave a comment, and some of those comments are in support of NOVA.   It should also be noted that Gates has already signed the lease with the owner of the strip mall so this is a bit late to try and stop the store from opening.

It's not like Lee Highway is a quiet neighborhood street - it is a bustling major thoroughfare and as the Post article points out, there is already a pawn shop that sells firearms less than 10 blocks from where Gates wants to open his business:

We’re not trying to make anybody mad or upset. We want to be part of the community,” he said in a telephone interview from his store in McLean. “We’ll have security and classes on safe handling of firearms, and safe carry. People who have questions should give us a call and give us a chance.”

They might also take a look fewer than 10 blocks east on Lee Highway, where National Pawnbrokers has been selling firearms for years. The manager there, who identified himself as David, said gun sales are a steady and uncontroversial part of the business.

The story continues to get a lot of media attention with NBC 4 in Washington picking up the story on Thursday night.

It's not just the residents in the area but Gates' future business neighbors are also joining those opposed to the store opening.

Jane Winter, who works at the flower shop next door to the vacant storefront, said NOVA doesn't fit in to the strip mall that includes a restaurant, hair salon and nail salon.

There is a reason some refer to the city as "The Peoples Republic of Arlington." It's about the closest thing to San Francisco that you will find in Virginia.

Cam Edwards of Sportsman Channel's NRANews Cam and Company spoke with Gates on Thursday to get his side of the story.