Maryland AG's lawfare case against Rockville gun shop dismissed by judge

Attorney Dan Cox represented the Rockville
gun shop that prevailed in the case

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown was handed his first loss in his lawfare crusade to bankrupt gun shops in the state yesterday. Montgomery County Circuit Court Judge Ronald B. Rubin dismissed Brown's case against United Gun Shop of Rockville with prejudice. "With prejudice" means that the case is permanently dismissed, and cannot be reopened. Brown's lawfare effort against United Gun Shop and two other Rockville gun stores is a partnership that includes the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and anti-gun organization Everytown Law, which is backed by billionaire Michael Bloomberg. The unstated goal of this lawfare crusade is to bankrupt all gun stores in Montgomery County - and ultimately, all gun shops statewide - via expensive legal fees to defend themselves.

In his 19-page opinion, Rubin advised the plaintiffs that the gun sales in question were completely legal, and that they would have to seek changes to the existing gun laws if they wanted to prevent such sales. The current Designated Collector statute in Maryland law permitted the purchaser to make repeated purchases of the same gun from United Gun Shop, and the other dealers in Rockville, Rubin wrote.

Attorney Dan Cox represented United Gun Shop in the case, in which he faced off against twenty attorneys well-funded by the multiple plaintiffs. "It was political, and the judge even called that out," Cox said after the dismissal Friday. "We thank God for this victorious outcome," he said in a statement issued by his office. "It sends notice to those wishing to crush innocent Americans with unfounded false accusations that we will not shrink, we will not falter, we will not fail to fight for the truth under law."

Cox is favored by many in the state to be named as the next U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland by President Donald Trump. The U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland, Erek L. Barron, resigned on February 12. Cox is also representing the mother of Kayla Hamilton, a 20-year-old Maryland woman murdered by an MS-13 gang member from El Salvador, who was allowed to enter the United States illegally, live in Maryland, and attend public school in Harford County during the Biden adminstration.

Hamilton's mother and Cox joined newly-sworn-in U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi at a press conference on February 12, at which Bondi announced the filing of charges against the State of New York, NY Governor Kathy Hochul, NY Attorney General Letitia James, and NY Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner Mark Schroeder for issuing driver's licenses to illegal immigrants in the Empire State. In addition to being on Bondi's radar, Cox was previously endorsed by Trump when he ran for Maryland governor in 2022. Cox supporters have started emailing petitions to urge President Trump and the U.S. Department of Justice to consider appointing Cox as the next U.S. Attorney for Maryland.

Valentine's Day specials at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda is offering several special offers for Valentine's Day 2025.  The mall's AMC Theatres Montgomery 16 cineplex is giving you $2-off tickets for screenings after 4:00 PM today through Sunday, February 16. Use the promo code MONTGOMERY2OFF to redeem the offer. California Pizza Kitchen on Level 2 has a specially-priced 4-course meal for two for Valentine's Day, starting at $55. Love is in the air aboard the Dream Aero Flight Simulator, with 14%-off flights today through Sunday. And today only, Purple is taking an extra 10%-off on any mattress purchase.

69% of Montgomery County voters oppose bag tax hike - but County Council passed it anyway

Over two-thirds of registered voters in Montgomery County oppose raising the bag tax to ten cents, a Washington Post/University of Maryland poll found, but the Montgomery County Council unanimously passed it anyway on Tuesday. The poll found that 69% of voters oppose the tax increase on paper bags, and that a minority 47% of voters support the plastic bag ban that was passed alongside it Tuesday. But, as the Council has done increasingly since defeating the Columbia Country Club with its 2009 Purple Line vote that brought no electoral consequences, the Council put its legislative steamroller in gear and floored the accelerator.

Interestingly, the Post declined to print the results of its bag tax/ban poll questions until the day after the Council voted, despite having taken the poll in late January, a clear attempt to tamp down opposition ahead of the Council vote. Tuesday's vote spoke deafening volumes about the deepening radical political trends in Montgomery County, trends that suggest the moribund jurisdiction is on-track for further and accelerating economic decline in the years ahead.

Montgomery County has acquired an international reputation as an anti-business jurisdiction. Not surprisingly, it has failed to attract a major corporate headquarters in over 25 years. Since the last decade, it ranks at or near the bottom by every relevant measure in economic development and job creation in the D.C. region, based on data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. It has long ago fallen out of the Forbes Top Ten Richest Counties in America list, as the wealthy flee to lower-tax jurisdictions in the region. In 2010, stores like Target and Magruder's in Rockville turned their interior lights down, posting apologetic signs explaining it was due to the County's new Energy Tax.

Tuesday's decision won't change the world's perception of us.

According to Wednesday's Post article, Councilmember Marilyn Balcombe (D - District 2) demanded Tuesday that the County begin to go after businesses "more aggressively" if they don't comply with the new ban and tax collection, despite the even-more-complicated regime of mandates imposed by the new law.

Okay, the Council is going to hound your business "more aggressively." But if you're thinking of starting a business, or moving it to Montgomery County, surely you can trust that the local Chamber of Commerce will have your back against the tinfoil dictators of the County Council, right?

Wrong.

The Montgomery County Chamber of Commerce supported the Council's vote. Yes, you read that right. "We worry about Montgomery County being in a position that it's not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions [and] that's not what this bill does," Chamber spokesperson Brian Levine told the Post. 

That's nice, but it's actually false, as Washington, D.C., Arlington County, and Fairfax County do not have bans on plastic bags, and only charge 5 cents per bag, not 10 cents. So putting us in a position that's "not competitive with surrounding jurisdictions" is exactly "what this bill does."

Imagine paying dues to a Chamber that kneecaps you in order to keep political favor with the County Council when the rubber meets the road. This isn't the first time. How many Chamber members wanted this bag law to pass? The Chamber's written testimony goes so far as to declare the organization "applauds the sponsor and co-sponsor for proposing this commonsense policy change." Applauds?! Such kowtowing to an rabidly-anti-business Council is embarrassing for a business organization. Yet again, we cede competitive economic growth territory to Northern Virginia and D.C.

It's bad enough that this is yet another tax hike, at a time when a majority of Montgomery County taxpayers are struggling with already-outrageous grocery prices, and Maryland is about to raise taxes and fees at the state level. But it's also another example of our megalomaniacal elected officials, who have a psychological need to control other people. Council President Kate Stewart (D - District 4) said the new bag law will "change behavior." Voters didn't elect you to "change behavior." They elected you to execute the basic functions of government in a competent manner, foster a favorable climate for business, provide necessary infrastructure and a functioning transportation system, and enforce the laws to protect the safety of the public - - all things this Council hasn't been able to do in this century. 

Electric Dodge Charger EV arrives in Rockville (Photos)

The dawn of the electric muscle car age is upon us in Rockville. DARCARS Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Rockville at 755 Rockville Pike has just received one of the first Dodge Charger EV coupes. It arrived a few days ago, according to a salesperson at the dealership. This is the Daytona Scat Pack Track version. While parent company Stellantis has expressed regret for its attempt to boost revenue via high prices in recent years, the $85,965 sticker price on this car will still induce shock to the faint of heart.

DARCARS says gasoline-powered V6 coupe and 4-door sedan versions will arrive later this year. Personally, I am thrilled with the new design that recalls the iconic 2-door 1969 Charger. Dodge has wisely made it available in orange. No word if "01" door numerals are an option.

Verizon moving at Rockville Town Square

Verizon will be moving a short distance at Rockville Town Square. The phone store is currently located at 20 Maryland Avenue, next to Gold's Gym. Their new space will be at 33-D Maryland Avenue, next to Buffalo Wild Wings. Shelving and furniture are now being moved into the storefront.

Police increase visibility at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda after robbery wave

Police were more visible at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda this past weekend, following a string of robberies at the popular retail center. In one instance, as seen above in the Dining Terrace food court, a uniformed police officer joined a mall security guard making the rounds of the property. Montgomery County police recently responded to three robberies in a nine-day period at the mall, on January 26 and 27, and on February 4. In the January 27 robbery, the victim was a business inside the mall.

Last year, assaults - not robberies - were the primary type of violent crime taking place at the mall. Eleven assaults were reported at the mall in 2024, up from five in 2023. The last assault was on November 12, 2024. A new leadership team was brought into the mall by parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield ten days later. No assaults have been reported at Montgomery Mall so far in 2025. 

There's no question that a visible police presence can not only deter criminals, but also make mall patrons feel safer. A sense of lawlessness, such as thieves being permitted to escape with large armfuls or bags of merchandise, only attracts more serious criminals as word spreads of easy pickings. TV news reports of New York City Police Department officers on subway platforms and trains, as that city's mayor announced that at least two officers would patrol each train during overnight hours, would give passengers a high degree of confidence in riding the MTA system. 

The newly-deployed NYPD officers are in addition to the existing ones patrolling MTA stations and platforms. Meanwhile, back in Maryland, the Montgomery County Council has defunded the police since 2020. Heckuva job, Brownie!

The Jam closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

The Jam has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall. An experimental art pop-up gallery and gift boutique by D.C.-area artist Maggie O'Neill, The Jam opened in the vacant Wentworth Gallery space outside of Nordstrom last October. The space has been cleared out, signage is gone, and the windows have been covered over. It will be interesting to see if the next tenant continues the art gallery streak, or if Westfield decides to go in another direction with this space.

Garage opening at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Garage will open its first store in Montgomery County this summer at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The women's apparel boutique is one of two brands founded by parent company GDI in Montreal in 1975. "We're a casual clothing brand for young women who are fun and effortlessly sexy," the company marketing spiel declares. When it opens, look for Garage in the former Aeropostale space on Level 1 of the mall, next to JD Sports.

Maryland lawfare crusade to eliminate gun shops targets Montgomery County first

Maryland Attorney General Anthony Brown has joined a crusade that aims to use lawfare to ultimately drive all gun stores in the state out of business. The first three businesses in the crosshairs of the campaign are all located in Montgomery County. One of Brown's initial targets is a family-owned gun shop in Rockville operated by retired law enforcement professionals, United Gun Shop, whose owners have already been forced to shell out over $100,000 to defend themselves. Brown's partners in the lawfare effort are the Attorney General of the District of Columbia, and pro-gun-control organization Everytown Law. The other defendants in the civil suit filed last September 3 are Atlantic Guns and Engage Armament, which are also both located in Rockville.

Lawfare is the use of frivolous lawsuits designed to bankrupt political or business opponents either through victory with punitive damages in friendly courtroom venues, or through the cost of defense even if there is little or no chance of prevailing in court. It is often employed as a last resort, when such opponents are not violating criminal law, and their activities are legitimate and legal. You'll notice that Brown has not lodged criminal charges against the store owners.

While the shops are accused of selling guns to a "straw purchaser," the sales were legal. The shop owners have no way to know to whom a legal purchaser might sell a firearm after the transaction at their business. Brown, et al's civil suit argues that the shop owners should have known (through E.S.P., perhaps?) that his large number of legal purchases of firearms meant that he was selling them to criminals. 

The lawfare effort is only the latest attempt by Montgomery County and Maryland elected officials to prevent their constituents from exercising their 2nd Amendment rights. Maryland's gun laws, among the strictest in the nation, have failed to prevent an ongoing violent crime wave, shootings, and homicides. They also happen to be unconstitutional. A forced closure of all gun stores in the county - and, potentially, the state - will make it all the more difficult for residents to exercise their 2nd Amendment rights.

United Gun Shop's owners have started a GiveSendGo fundraising campaign to help defray the tremendous cost of defending themselves from this lawfare in court. While Everytown Law is at least using its own funds in the effort, Brown is using your own tax dollars to strip you of your 2nd Amendment rights.

3rd robbery in 9 days at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police responded to a report of a robbery at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda Tuesday afternoon, February 4, 2025. The robbery was reported at the mall at 3:30 PM Tuesday. This was the third robbery at the busy retail center in nine days. The first two took place on January 26 and January 27. 

Physical media DVDs, CDs vanish at Target in Montgomery County

DVDs and CDs have vanished at local Target stores, like this one at Westfield's Wheaton Plaza mall. Gone are shelves of movies, TV shows, and music CDs. In their place are just books and vinyl records. Many of the latter are Target-exclusive editions. A few CDs remain available, primarily by Taylor Swift and K-pop artists. The flop of Joker 2 continues to resonate, as Lady Gaga's companion album to that box office bomb is now on clearance. Remember: whatever you buy, you only own it forever if it's on physical media.

Assault at grocery store in Rockville

Rockville City police responded to a report of a 2nd-degree assault at a grocery store Thursday evening, January 30, 2025. The assault was reported at a supermarket in the 1800 block of Rockville Pike at 8:34 PM. There is a Safeway store at 1800 Rockville Pike. An individual was also accused of shoplifting in the same incident.

Janie and Jack moving at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Janie and Jack will soon be making a very short relocation move at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. The children's clothing boutique is currently located on Level 2 of the mall, between Johnston & Murphy and Baby GAP. It will move directly across the wing to a storefront next to California Pizza Kitchen. "Opening soon" signage has been posted across their future space, and it gives "Winter 2025" as a very general opening date.

2 robberies in 24 hours at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Montgomery County police were busy at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda as the last week in January began. Officers responded to two robberies in 24 hours at the popular retail center at 7101 Democracy Boulevard. A strong-arm robbery was reported at the mall on Sunday, January 26, at 6:30 PM. Less than 24 hours later, on Monday, January 27, a second robbery was called in at 12:40 PM. A business at the mall was the victim in that robbery. The tenant has not yet been identified. An unspecified weapon was implied or employed in the second robbery, but it was not a gun.

Montgomery Mall had nearly made it to the end of the first month of 2025 without a violent crime taking place there. Eleven assaults were reported at the mall in 2024, up from five in 2023. The last assault was on November 12, 2024. A new leadership team was brought into the mall by parent company Unibail-Rodamco-Westfield ten days later. The peak holiday shopping period from Black Friday through Christmas then passed uneventfully, in terms of crime. Only the typical shoplifting calls expected at any mall during the holiday season were reported during that time. January had likewise been violent-crime-free, until this past Sunday.

Maryland restaurants aren't going out of business fast enough, lawmakers in Annapolis say

Maryland's restaurants aren't going out of business fast enough, lawmakers in the state's capital of Annapolis say, and a pair of Democrats in the legislature have a plan to speed up the process. On top of previous hikes to the state's minimum wage, which have been a factor in many restaurant closures and staff reductions statewide, their new bill would create a 2026 ballot question asking voters to approve a minimum wage of $20-an-hour. If approved by voters, the question would also force restaurant owners to pay that $20 wage to tipped workers, as well. The bill is expected to be taken up by the Democrat-controlled Maryland House and Senate next month.

Montgomery County was the vanguard of the proletariat in the effort to raise the minimum wage in the previous decade. The Montgomery County Council was warned by business owners, the Maryland Retailers Association, and the Restaurant Association of Maryland that a significant wage increase would put many enterprises out of business. Their predictions came to pass, as Montgomery's already-moribund economy was slammed by the higher wage requirements, higher taxes and new regulations, and the Council's disastrous "Nighttime Economy" initiative that ended up destroying the nighttime economy. Bars, stores, and restaurants that had endured for thirty or fifty years, serving multiple generations of Montgomery County residents, were suddenly closing left and right.

The nightlife scene in Bethesda looks starkly different from what it was prior to the last decade. In fact, you can't really look at it at all, because it no longer exists. Along with record numbers of restaurant failures countywide, at least 24 nightspots closed in Bethesda alone. Downtown Bethesda's streets are now dark and lonesome after 9:00 PM. 

Demolition of Regal Cinemas Bethesda 10
cineplex in 2017

The impact of the Council's "Nighttime Economy" catastrophe in Bethesda was capped off when Barnes and Noble closed, and the Council allowed the town's only major cineplex to be demolished, without requiring the developer to replace the theater - even though the Minor Master Plan Amendment that permitted the demolition provided the Council with the authority to impose just such a requirement. The public plaza outside the former bookstore that previously teemed with crowds during warm weather was suddenly deserted. A "spaces available" sign outside the public parking garage at Bethesda Row that usually read "FULL" during the peak dinnertime hours now showed hundreds of spaces available. The counter was eventually deactivated to cover up the embarrassment.

There are now not only fewer restaurants in Montgomery County, but fewer restaurant workers, as well. Fast food establishments that haven't closed now sport touchscreens that eliminate the number of workers needed to man (or woman) the counter. Chains like McDonald's are on the verge of total automation, only slowed by the open revolt a speedy conversion to this technology would spur among unions, and the mainstream press that already delights in bashing restaurant chains that allow working class people to eat cheaply without government welfare assistance.

Many writing for the "Buzz Insider"-style websites, and even more among the world of TikTok "influencers," were fooled into believing McDonald's' new CosMc's concept is a super-cool place to film yourself waiting in an hour-long line of cars, to get a million video views of yourself making moronic faces while sipping a Sour Cherry Energy Burst. In reality, it is a test run for the "Fight for $25" future, a future of a single supervising employee monitoring an array of robots serving precisely-made Big Macs and Egg McMuffins.

Along with Governor Wes Moore's proposal to raise taxes on the "rich," the proposed wage hike will indeed speed up the bankruptcy process for mom-and-pop restaurants across Maryland. Restaurants - and most retail - are very slim profit margin businesses to start with. The margin is even slimmer in hellaciously-anti-business counties like Montgomery. Having elected officials who don't understand this, or much of anything about how business works, is always potentially fatal to the independent entrepreneur in MoCo and Maryland.

This financial illiteracy among our elected officials leads to measures such as the higher taxes, fees, and wages being proposed fast and furiously in Annapolis this month. It leads to a state where many elected officials and government employees end up making more money annually than the private businesses they regulate. But as we've seen already in Montgomery County, which fell from its lofty perch among the Forbes "Top Ten Richest Counties in America" list during MoCo's purge of the free enterprise system last decade, the more you pile on the taxes and wage hikes, the less revenue you get. Taxation is not only theft, but generates diminishing returns as rates increase. The more you squeeze, the less you get. 

Montgomery County has already reached rock bottom in the D.C. region, or close to it, in every significant economic development category compiled by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Even Gov. Moore has admitted Maryland's economy is stagnant, and its economic and job numbers lag far behind the national average since 2017. Yet, Annapolis wants to again join Rockville in amplifying the assault on the small businessperson even further. The question for our representatives in Annapolis this year is, "How much lower do you want to go?"

Nothing Bundt Cakes opens in Rockville

Nothing Bundt Cakes is now open at 1032 Rockville Pike at Edmonston Crossing. The popular cake appeared in America back in the 1950s, but the innovation was really the pan that molds the cake's shape. Nordic Ware added a "t" to the German word "bund" for a pan that was designed to help a Jewish women's group in Minneapolis replicate a traditional, ring-shaped kugelhopf cake. Success on that effort was followed by wider adoption of the shape and recipe after a Bundt cake won the Pillsbury Bake-Off competition in 1966.

Thirty-one years later, Dena Tripp and Debbie Shwetz founded Nothing Bundt Cakes in Las Vegas. Today, it is the top specialty cake company in America, with over 600 locations. The Rockville location is open from 9:30 AM to 7:30 PM from Monday through Saturday, and from 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM on Sundays. The opening here is great timing, as the chain is currently featuring a Reese's Chocolate Peanut Butter cake "while supplies last." It doesn't get any better than that!

Specs New York closes at Montgomery Mall in Bethesda

Specs New York has closed at Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda. Signage has been removed from above the storefront. The sunglasses retailer first opened at the mall in 2014. It temporarily closed at least a couple of times in the first four years of its tenancy at the mall, so another return can't entirely be ruled out. Specs appears to be the latest victim of the moribund Montgomery County economy, as this is the only of the chain's locations nationwide to be closing.

Maryland governor proposes 75-cent fee on retail, food deliveries

One proposal in Maryland Gov. Wes Moore's FY-2026 budget that he, understandably, did not mention in his press conference yesterday is a new 75-cent fee on retail and food deliveries. Given the popularity of such purchases by people of all income levels, this regressive fee could quickly add up for already-struggling Maryland residents. Moore's presentation gave another official declaration that Maryland's economy is - like Montgomery County's - moribund and stagnant. His budget director gave a Powerpoint presentation with slides confirming Maryland's economic growth has "significantly underperformed national growth" since 2017, as has its job growth. With grocery, insurance, and home prices remaining massively-high, why would the state now pile on by socking it to working-class people ordering a hamburger or a t-shirt for delivery?

Economic growth - moribund!

Also hidden from the governor's speech was a proposal to more than double the emissions test fee for vehicles. The emissions test program is already a massive grift for the state, forcing owners of recent vehicle models to take a test that predictably finds their car meets the standards. Maryland isn't even properly maintaining the equipment for the test now, as the scanner on the self-test machine was broken the last time I went, forcing drivers to manually type their personal information into the computer.

Job growth - moribund!

Sports gamblers would also be victims of highway robbery under the new budget. In a proposal that was actually presented at the press conference, Moore suggested doubling the tax on sports betting from 15% to 30%. So that big $1000 win Joe Six Pack had on the baseball game will be whittled down to $700 right "off the bat." Better cancel that plan to have a burger delivered after the game, Joe - you just can't afford it! Meanwhile, your representatives in Annapolis are laughing all the way to the bank.

Maryland and Montgomery County have
the highest tax burden in the D.C. region...
...but their revenue is stagnant. Given that clear
end result, does it make sense to increase
taxes even further?

Rockville shoplifter arrested after slamming employee into display case

Rockville's finest caught one of the many suspects plaguing retail businesses in Montgomery County these days, with an assist from a few Good Samaritan shoppers at the store. The alleged shoplifter attempted to steal items from a store in the 1500 block of Rockville Pike on the afternoon of January 6, 2025. When he was confronted by an employee of the store, he slammed the employee into a display case, and attempted to flee.

Several customers of the store helped the employee subdue the suspect, and held him until Rockville City police arrived at the store. Police took the suspect into custody at 4:14 PM.

Police called after assault at Rockville grocery store

Rockville City police were called to a grocery store last Wednesday evening, January 8, 2025, after someone reported having been assaulted there. The assault was reported at 6:53 PM at a supermarket in the 1800 block of Rockville Pike, near the Twinbrook Metro station. There is a Safeway store on that block. An individual was accused of shoplifting in the same incident.