Virginia has been in the news over guns recently. First, its AG, Mark Herring canceled all their conceal carry reciprocity agreements with other states, then Governor Terry McAuliffe vetoed that outrageous act.
He then lost all his brownie points by vetoing two bills, passed by the House, that would have allowed state workers to carry while on government property or store firearms in their car while they’re inside their work space.
And now, because the only place you can buy a gun in DC is inside the main police station, NOVA Armory opened to much fanfare in Arlington, Virginia on March 28th 2016. But while hundreds turned out in support of the boutique gun shop, just a few blocks away anti-gun activists protested their displeasure. Only one protestor, Kathy Witkowski-Jacobs, was brave enough to show up at the store’s doorstep, and she of course shared her radical solution for the gun violence “epidemic” in America (bolding mine):
“First of all, I think anybody that has a gun needs to get their head examined like we get our eyes checked every year,” she said, holding a sign warning that gun violence may force everyone to homeschool their kids to keep them safe. “Those that have guns need to get regular yearly check-ups because look at the monster that went into Newtown and annihilated all those babies. It’s not the guns, it’s the gun owners who are unstable.”
Before I include the rest of Witkowski-Jacobs’s enlightening remarks, let me remind everyone that the mentally unstable young man who committed the horrific Newtown massacre was not a gun owner. He stole the firearms he used from his mother, as criminals who are hell-bent on committing crimes are wont to do.
Now that that’s all cleared up, Witkowski-Jacobs went on:
She said she knew that there were a lot of gun owners who are stable but she wants all gun owners to undergo yearly psychological evaluations to figure out which ones aren’t. When asked why she opposed the opening of NOVA Armory in particular she said, “Well, there’s guns in there. I don’t want any gun stores. I don’t want any gun stores.”
Let’s recap, shall we? Witkowski-Jacobs doesn’t want to wholesale ban guns, she just wants to subject gun owners to invasive yearly psychological exams. However, she does want to ban gun stores, which would leave (certified mentally stable) gun owners without a legal, safe way to purchase guns.
Call Obama. We’ve found our solution to gun crimes.
As for NOVA Armory, owner Dennis Pratte said he has received congratulatory messages and phone calls from all over the state. In time, he hopes the people of Arlington will come to accept his safe, responsible business:
Pratte pointed to the free gun safety course NOVA Armory offers with every gun purchase, the inexpensive concealed carry courses, and the number of law enforcement officers the store expects to serve as reasons he hopes all members of the community will come to appreciate the store.
“We’re here to stay,” he said. “I think over time the community will see that we’re not a detriment to the community, that we’re actually an asset.”
Another victory for the Second Amendment in the commonwealth of Virginia. Take them while you can.
