NOVA Armory of Arlington, Va., has notified Arlington Circuit Court that it will not be pursing a lawsuit filed earlier this year against 64 individuals that owners of the shop say had attempted to destroy the business through harassment via email, phone and the internet, as well as a mailed death threat against the owner’s 16-year-old daughter.
Before the store opened, the Arlington County Board issued an official disapproval of the business. Opponents started a Change.org petition asking the landlord not to rent to NOVA, and in a letter, Arlington County state legislators—seven in total, all Democrats—also attempted to bully the landlord.
While the plaintiff’s attorney hasn’t commented, it’s possible the lawsuit was dropped because NOVA is doing so well. The store, which was sold to store manager and former Marine Shawn Poulin in August, is “in the black” and planning a second-floor expansion, according to the Washington Post. As residents have gotten used to the idea of a firearms store, Poulin says, he has received mostly positive support from customers, many of whom are Washington, D.C., residents.
