Well, folks, here's another example of anti-gunners trying to strangle our industry through bureaucratic nonsense instead of actually addressing crime.
Prince George's County, Maryland just approved a new use and occupancy permit requirement that'll cost gun stores $5,000 annually — with the fee potentially climbing every year. They're lumping us in with liquor stores and tobacco retailers, claiming we have a "detrimental impact on quality of life." That's right. The same lawful businesses that have operated in this county for decades are suddenly a quality of life problem.
What's infuriating is the ordinance cites gun violence statistics but offers zero evidence that legal gun sales are responsible. Aalekh Kaswala, who runs a business affected by this measure, put it perfectly: "Each one of these licensees is a family, and the way I believe that we're being spoken about, we're being demonized." Couldn't have said it better myself.
Council Chair Krystal Oriadha, who authored this garbage, had the audacity to claim the county is just "choosing the right businesses." She basically admitted the goal is to push out businesses she doesn't like. And make no mistake — this is designed to make it harder for residents to exercise their Second Amendment rights by driving gun stores out of the county entirely.
Here's the good news: the article mentions impacted businesses are vowing to take this to court. A lobbyist for the storage industry called it "blatantly unconstitutional and illegal by discriminatory classification." I'd say the same applies to gun shops.
This is exactly the kind of local overreach we need to fight. If you're an FFL holder in that county or anywhere else watching this trend, get involved with your state firearms association. And if you live in Prince George's County, support the local gun shops that are standing up to this nonsense. They're fighting for all of us.