No known threat against it, but people carrying guns guard Bonney Lake pawn shop
Pistol Annie’s Jewelry & Pawn in Bonney Lake has had armed people guarding the pawn shop since May 31, and they have no intention of leaving.
Owner Melissa Denny became unsettled by the looting during protests against police brutality in Seattle.
Denny, also the president of the Washington State Firearms Coalition, saw at least four cars with tinted windows drive by on May 31 and felt her store was being “cased.” A notification from Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives that a firearm had been stolen elsewhere made her call fellow gun owners for advice.
Men and women joined her in staking out her property on Veterans Memorial Drive and have stayed since.
Denny said she plans to guard her pawn shop nightly “until three is no more rioting and looting.” She is considering hiring a security team to patrol the property.
“I never want the store unmanned ever again,” Denny said.
Jason Chudy is the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives spokesperson for the Seattle Region. The agency has issued a reward for a Lakewood firearm burglary, where three rifles and several boxes of ammunition were stolen on May 6. In 2018 there were 12 reported firearm burglaries and six in 2019.
Denny’s goal is to keep the firearms inside her store.
“I can’t live with the idea that those would be out in the street. I am responsible for those firearms,” Denny said. “This is beyond anything I can wrap my head around.”
Chudy said there have been no reported gun thefts from federal firearms licensees in the Puyallup, Sumner, Bonney Lake region this year.
Chudy said ATF has not recommended, nor would recommend, armed people standing outside a store as a protection measure. Businesses selling firearms are recommended to have alarm systems, perform firearm inventory, install security camera surveillance, bar windows and doors and have pull-down gates.
Bonney Lake Police Chief Bryan Jeter said there is no credible information that Pistol Annie’s Jewelry and Pawn is a target.
He spoke to Denny about the appearance of having several armed individuals outside and the number of people was scaled back. Jeter estimated there were initially up to 50 individuals a night.
He said it’s a fine line between protecting personal property, protecting Second Amendment rights and becoming intimidating to the public.
“A person has a right to protect their homes, and she has a right to do her own security, and a lot of businesses hire off-duty security, but the law enforcement should be left to us,” Jeter said.
People have brought meals and snacks to show their support. Laurie Layne from Bonney Lake, brought a dessert for the armed individuals on Monday afternoon. She said she feels safer with them there.
“I’m glad they are there keeping us safe by watching the store and the only way these guns leave the store is by buying them,” Layne said. “So far, we’ve been spared the violence, and it’s been quiet here.”
Denny shared social media posts with The Puyallup Herald, stating that there was looting at Pistol Annie’s, but to date there has been no theft. The stakeout is intended to deter any potential crime, Denny said.
“We have been diligent in making sure most of the people here are largely combat veterans. They have no desire to see anything escalate,” she said.
Denny and about a dozen volunteers have been staying the night in her parking lot. She said there is a lot of activity from 1-3 a.m., including an unknown drone flying around her property and “rush-hour-like traffic” on Veterans Memorial Drive.
The armed volunteers spoke with The Puyallup Herald but declined to be interviewed on the record for fear of retribution from the public.
Most of them carry guns and keep an eye out on the road. Some people have been screaming and taunting them, Denny said.
“We are grownups. We can handle it,” she said.
Denny said her livelihood is wrapped up in the pawn shop, and she will protect it. She said it’s been miserable, and she is exhausted but feels it’s her duty.
“We don’t want guns in the hands of criminals,” she said. “And if there is a remote possibility and we are aware, being prepared is my responsibility.”
