Act 4 Lyon Park
Donation protected
A group of concerned citizens living in Arlington, VA, is opposed to the opening of a large gun shop, NOVA Armory, moving into a small retail area in the Lyon Park neighborhood, which is composed primarily of schools, homes and parks. Our bi-partisan group includes 2nd Amendent Rights supporters and both residents and business owners. More than 3,000 people have signed a petition registering their opposition.
NOVA Armory is slated to move into 2300 Pershing Drive in Arlington, VA 22201. The three-story building includes restaurants, an army recruiting center, and offices. A daycare/after-school program is located across the street along with several other eateries, a small market, and other small businesses, including a yoga studio and nail salon. The federal Gun Free School Zone Act restricts the possession of firearms within a “school zone.” The legality of the weapons store location vis-a-vis the daycare is still being investigated. Yet children from the daycare facilities are a stone’s throw away and are taken on walks in front of the storefront every day. An elementary school and a full circle Montessori are located less than ½ mile away and a handful of other schools are within a one-mile radius. The storefront is within a densely populated residential neighborhood. Parking is limited and located close to a dense intersection (Route 50).
NOVA Armory plans to move into the neighborhood in March. No specific date is given. Arlington County has approved the operation’s business and zoning permits and notes that, “Firearms shops cannot be regulated individually under code of Virginia §15.2-915.”
We oppose the opening of a weapons armory in a residential neighborhood for several reasons:
Safety and Community Values. This is about our community, not about the 2nd amendment. We are taking issue with locating shops that purvey guns within close range of schools, parks and homes. In an era of ever-increasing gun violence, it is unconscionable to locate a gun shop anywhere in the vicinity of schools, both private and public, with young children in close proximity. The fear of armed intruders in schools is real, and placing a shop that sells guns and/or ammunition within immediate distance of schools sends a conflicting message. In addition, the store is a mere 5 minutes from the DC border. According to the Center for American Progress, Virginia is considered one of the nation’s top exporters of crime guns.
Local Businesses. The small Pershing Drive commercial area is just beginning to thrive with small shops that primarily serve the neighborhood. A large weapons armory may discourage neighborhood retail traffic and hurt local businesses. Parking is also extremely limited. A similar shop sought to open in another Arlington neighborhood but, after vociferous opposition from other tenants in the shopping center, the lease was terminated.
Quality of Life. A weapons armory will not improve the quality of life in a community that is walkable, densely populated, and full of families and children. The shop may also affect property values. Review of the impact of a gun store on home values is ongoing, but it appears that some municipal assessors have slashed home values by as much as 30% based on the nuisance and safety concerns posed by a firearms store in a residential area.
OUR CALL TO ACTION
We call on the owner of the building and the gun shop to exercise concern for the community, and most particularly its youngest and most vulnerable residents, and cease any action that would allow a gun shop to occupy this space.
Help us protect our community by:
Visit our website: www.act4lyonpark.org
Signing the petition: http://tinyurl.com/Act4LyonPark
Contacting your Arlington County Board Members: [email redacted]
Spreading the word among your local schools, churches, stores, neighbors
Using our hashtag: #Act4LyonPark
Visit our Facebook: www.facebook.com/Act4LyonPark
****Any Additional Funds Raised that Exceed our Monetary Needs for this cause will go to the LPCC Renovation Project!****
NOVA Armory is slated to move into 2300 Pershing Drive in Arlington, VA 22201. The three-story building includes restaurants, an army recruiting center, and offices. A daycare/after-school program is located across the street along with several other eateries, a small market, and other small businesses, including a yoga studio and nail salon. The federal Gun Free School Zone Act restricts the possession of firearms within a “school zone.” The legality of the weapons store location vis-a-vis the daycare is still being investigated. Yet children from the daycare facilities are a stone’s throw away and are taken on walks in front of the storefront every day. An elementary school and a full circle Montessori are located less than ½ mile away and a handful of other schools are within a one-mile radius. The storefront is within a densely populated residential neighborhood. Parking is limited and located close to a dense intersection (Route 50).
NOVA Armory plans to move into the neighborhood in March. No specific date is given. Arlington County has approved the operation’s business and zoning permits and notes that, “Firearms shops cannot be regulated individually under code of Virginia §15.2-915.”
We oppose the opening of a weapons armory in a residential neighborhood for several reasons:
Safety and Community Values. This is about our community, not about the 2nd amendment. We are taking issue with locating shops that purvey guns within close range of schools, parks and homes. In an era of ever-increasing gun violence, it is unconscionable to locate a gun shop anywhere in the vicinity of schools, both private and public, with young children in close proximity. The fear of armed intruders in schools is real, and placing a shop that sells guns and/or ammunition within immediate distance of schools sends a conflicting message. In addition, the store is a mere 5 minutes from the DC border. According to the Center for American Progress, Virginia is considered one of the nation’s top exporters of crime guns.
Local Businesses. The small Pershing Drive commercial area is just beginning to thrive with small shops that primarily serve the neighborhood. A large weapons armory may discourage neighborhood retail traffic and hurt local businesses. Parking is also extremely limited. A similar shop sought to open in another Arlington neighborhood but, after vociferous opposition from other tenants in the shopping center, the lease was terminated.
Quality of Life. A weapons armory will not improve the quality of life in a community that is walkable, densely populated, and full of families and children. The shop may also affect property values. Review of the impact of a gun store on home values is ongoing, but it appears that some municipal assessors have slashed home values by as much as 30% based on the nuisance and safety concerns posed by a firearms store in a residential area.
OUR CALL TO ACTION
We call on the owner of the building and the gun shop to exercise concern for the community, and most particularly its youngest and most vulnerable residents, and cease any action that would allow a gun shop to occupy this space.
Help us protect our community by:
Visit our website: www.act4lyonpark.org
Signing the petition: http://tinyurl.com/Act4LyonPark
Contacting your Arlington County Board Members: [email redacted]
Spreading the word among your local schools, churches, stores, neighbors
Using our hashtag: #Act4LyonPark
Visit our Facebook: www.facebook.com/Act4LyonPark
****Any Additional Funds Raised that Exceed our Monetary Needs for this cause will go to the LPCC Renovation Project!****
Organizer
Act 4 Lyon Park
Organizer
Arlington, VA
