New gun store in Prentis Park sparks concern as Portsmouth community grapples with violent crime

Residents of a community grappling with violent crime are alarmed by the opening of a gun store in their neighborhood — and some are encouraging the city to reevaluate its permitting process for firearms businesses.

The Brighton/Prentis Park Civic League packed a room last week to discuss its concerns in a meeting that included City Council members and Portsmouth police officers. It was organized by league president Barry Randall, who sought clarity about how the gun store — Concierge Gun Sales — made its way to the neighborhood.

“Of all the places to put a gun store, why would you do it where there’s crime ridden all over the community?” Randall said during the meeting Monday at the Portsmouth Sheriff Office’s Training Academy.

Brighton and Prentis Park lie within an area stricken with poverty that sees an outsized amount of the city’s violent crime, particularly among youth. A Harvard fellow who crunched local crime data for the city last year said nearly 60% of youth homicides since 2017 have occurred in the 23704 ZIP code that includes the two neighborhoods.

Last summer, Prentis Park was the site of a quadruple homicide. More recently, a man was found shot to death just two blocks from the gun store on Dec. 31.

Portsmouth NAACP President James Boyd said in the meeting that instead of a gun store, this community needs more resources for children.

“(We) know that our lives have been marginalized and disenfranchised for so long regarding gun violence,” Boyd said. “So seriously concerning. Whether it’s ammo, whether it’s guns, whether it’s any other kind of weapon, we don’t need it in this community.”

Concierge Gun Sales, which opened in November, is owned by Portsmouth resident Edward Kelly. It’s one of several businesses he and Valencia Kelly own and operate, all anchored in one building at 1820 Elm Avenue near Lincoln Street. Other businesses at the location they operate include A.E.K.1 Construction Inc. and a neighborhood U-Haul dealer that still needs Planning Commission and City Council approval.

Kelly, a military veteran, told The Virginian-Pilot he lives in the same neighborhood as his businesses. He defended his use of the building, noting it sat vacant for years.

Kelly said his store operates a bit differently than the average gun store as he only keeps a few guns in stock, with the rest ordered online and shipped to the store within a few days. A small “living room” setting allows him to spend one-on-one time helping customers purchase firearms.

“That’s why I just called it ‘Concierge Guns’ because we’re not trying to sell a bunch of guns,” Kelly said. “We’re not a browsing type store. You need to kind of know what you want.”

Kelly estimates he’s sold about 30 guns since opening and said most of his customers have been women and older adults seeking some form of self-defense.

The business is equipped with security cameras, and Kelly said footage has been shared with police on a few occasions to aid their investigations of crimes in the area.

City officials said the business is properly permitted, up to code and properly zoned. But after the store’s opening, some community members have suggested the city should more tightly regulate the permitting of firearms stores.

LaKesha “Onyx” Hicks, an activist and NAACP member, said as much at the civic league meeting. She asked how this can be prevented in the future, suggesting that the city be more strategic by requiring certain businesses to always go before City Council for approval.

A city spokesperson told The Pilot that Concierge Gun Sales received a zoning approval for a business license in June, allowing Kelly to sell firearms and ammunition. It didn’t need City Council approval because operating as a retailer is one of the appropriate by-right uses under the neighborhood mixed use zoning designation.

“(A)t least this (City) Council can ensure that it just doesn’t happen to the next disenfranchised community,” Randall said. “Let’s be honest of what we deal with in our community.”

Mayor Shannon Glover told The Pilot these concerns could lead to a discussion among council members regarding a potential policy change in the near future. But he added that federal regulations for such businesses can also limit the council’s role.

Kelly didn’t attend the civic league meeting, but Randall said he was invited.

An online database shows Kelly has had a federal firearms license since at least May. A Virginia State Police spokesperson said Kelly’s business registered with the Virginia Firearms Transaction Center in May and remains in good standing.

Portsmouth Police Officer Allen Washington said at the meeting the business is in compliance with city code and has all of the necessary permits to operate. A city spokesperson confirmed the business is not violating any of the city’s zoning ordinances.

“He has all of his legal documents that he needs to operate a firearms business in that location,” Washington said.

Assistant Police Chief Na’Shayla Nelson said the department continues to “keep an eye” on the business as it works to ensure other businesses throughout the city are in compliance.

Natalie Anderson, 757-732-1133, natalie.anderson@virginiamedia.com