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SunGazette
VOLUME 37 NO. 12
www.FairfaxChristianSchool.com
NOVEMBER 12-18, 2015
G R E AT FA L L S • M c L E A N • O A K T O N • T Y S O N S • V I E N N A
MCA’s Gun-Store Committee Seeking Screening
Group Unable to Find Any Laws That Shop Is Breaking in Its Location Abutting Elementary School BRIAN TROMPETER Staff Writer
The McLean Citizens Association’s (MCA) committee studying NOVA Firearms’ recent relocation next to Franklin Sherman Elemen-
tary School in McLean issued its initial report Nov. 4 to the disappointment of activists on both sides of the issue. The store “does not violate any laws that we’re aware of,” but its owners are seeking another site that is at least as well-situated, said
committee member Robert Jackson. In the short term, the committee will talk to the store’s owners about using landscape screening to shield its customers from view of the school and avoid misunderstandings that could result in a lock-down reaction, he said.
A LANDSLIDE IT WAS NOT, BUT A WIN IS A WIN
Del. Kathleen Murphy (D-34th) is shown with her husband, William Sudow, campaigning outside Franklin Sherman Elementary School on Election Day, Nov. 3. Murphy squeaked by Republican Craig Parisot for the second time in 11 months, retaining her seat. See full coverage of election results in the PHOTO BY BRIAN TROMPETER local area inside on Pages 4 and 11.
Continued on Page 24
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“No specific solution has been identified so far,” Jackson said. “Whatever the options, the MCA board of directors will work to make them happen.” About 80 people attended the meeting, with pro-gun-rights advocates outnumbering those wearing stickers favoring firearm-free school zones. Both sides were underwhelmed by the report. “It was very brief. I was expecting something a little more,” said Falls Church resident Ron Campbell, who was part of a contingent from the Virginia Citizens Defense League. “I thought the turnout was very good, but there was not a lot of information about what’s going on.” But Campbell said the committee’s work struck him as impartial. “It seems like whatever they have going on, they’re trying to work it out fairly,” he said. Linda McConnaughay of McLean, who was among those seeking to have the store moved, said she was “disappointed” by the committee’s findings so far. “I don’t feel there was very much substance in the report,” she said. “Screening won’t resolve the issue. I just think they should relocate [the store]. It seems as simple as that.” MCA president Jeff Barnett convened the meeting at McLean High School, where the public may not carry firearms. Several people carried sidearms and a rifle to the board’s Oct. 7 meeting at the McLean Community Center. “We just needed a chill pill,” said Barnett, adding that the venue change was within the group’s rules. “Last time was way too wild to our liking. This way allowed us to step back a little bit so nobody makes any mistakes, nobody gets their nose out of joint.” (Privately, one MCA member expressed concern that relocating the meeting to a gunfree school area needlessly injected a political
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