Prince William County Planning Commission advances single

Mark Sicat wants to transform his single-family home near Manassas into a storefront where he can sell commercial and historical guns.

The Prince William County Planning Commission is recommending a Manassas-area man be permitted to build and sell guns out of his single-family home.

Mark Sicat, owner of a home on Wheeler Drive near Sudley Road, is seeking a special use permit to transform it into a storefront where he can sell commercial and historical guns while also assembling and modifying guns with simple tools. He intends for most sales to be done online with an option for local pick-up out of his garage.

The home business model is a stepping stone for Sicat to eventually move the shop out of his house, he said.

Although the Planning Commission advanced his proposal, many of Sicat’s neighbors have said the presence of his store would make them feel unsafe in their neighborhood, though they did express some confidence in Sicat’s ability to operate a safe and responsible business.

Others were concerned about the proximity of Sicat’s home to a local community center with a public pool.

But Sicat said some neighbors have been less forgiving of his proposal.

"There are a few homeowners against my home business that have either never communicated with me at all or they have made it their mission to attempt to attack my character with false accusations in order to influence the Planning Commission and the Board of County Supervisors,” he said.

Sicat defended his record of gun responsibility as a veteran who currently holds a U.S. government issued security clearance.

On-site storage of gun inventory at the home would be limited, Sicat said. Items in stock would be commercial guns, maintenance kits and accessories, along with a limited supply of historical World War II, Vietnam-era and Korean War guns.

Sicat would be prohibited from selling ammunition under county laws and also restricted from vending short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, machine guns and silencers.

On-site customer traffic will be limited to five per day with only one allowed on site at a time.

Sicat will sell the guns inside of a case in his closed garage to customers who take advantage of the local pick-up option. Guns will be stored in a locked safe inside the home until they’re sold, he said.

Planning Commission members Juan McPhail, Joseph Fontanella, Jr., Tom Gordy, Richard Berry and Qwendolyn Brown all recommended that Sicat be permitted to open the business.

Many members justified their vote citing several similar home gun stores approved in the county in recent years. The commission in 2022 recommended approval of Sure Short Gunsmithing LLC, a store run out of a Nokesville home.

“As much as I do not prefer to vote for a gunsmithing retail business in the residential neighborhood, we have approved numerous of those businesses … So I will say yes,” Brown said.

Chair Cynthia Moses-Nedd and at-large member Patty Kuntz both opposed the business. Moses-Nedd argued the residential location of the proposed business was inappropriate.

Raheel Sheikh was absent from the meeting and did not cast a vote.

More guns, more gun deaths.

https://www.cnn.com/2022/05/26/politics/gun-violence-data-what-matters/index.html

But as long as he follows all federal laws, I don't think a home based dealer will make much difference.

Yup, that's just what we all need - more guns. And being assembled & sold online & out of someone's private home. It'll be interesting to see how long it takes before there's a story here about how the home was burglarized.

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