California – -(AmmoLand.com)- Despite skyrocketing violent crime rates, Sheriff Alex Villanueva steadfastly refuses to allow his constituents to defend themselves.
Violent crime is skyrocketing in Los Angeles County, Sheriff Alex Villanueva announced yesterday on Instagram. (video below)
Homicides have increased more than 95% compared to the same timeframe last year. (Villanueva didn’t specify the timeframe.) What he called “forcible rape” is up 7%. Aggravated assaults are up 12%. Grand theft auto has increased more than 40% and arson is up 22%.
Overall, Villanueva said his department “ended all of 2020 with a 36% increase in violent crimes.”
“They’re all huge numbers — all very, very troublesome.” the sheriff admitted. “It’s our number-one existential threat, particularly for people who live where there is a large percentage of African-American and Latino residents. You’re the ones that are in the impact zone — that are mostly affected by this existential threat.”
Rather than immediately segueing into how he planned to loosen restrictions on concealed-carry permits and make it easier for his constituents to protect themselves — especially the people who live in the impact zone — Sheriff Villanueva took a different path.
“We’re not going to go to ‘shall issue,’ where anyone who can fog a mirror can get a CCW permit,” he said. “That’s not responsible, but we do want to give people the opportunity – who are responsible, pass the training, that don’t have any convictions or legal limitations from being armed in public, and establish a ‘good cause’ reason why they should be armed, why we should trust them to be armed in public. That is the threshold.”
Sheriff Villanueva announced that he had increased the staffing of his firearms unit — the deputies who process the concealed-carry applications.
Since 2018, when he was sworn in as Los Angeles County’s 33rd sheriff, Villanueva said his department has issued 904 concealed-carry permits. In other words, about one permit per day since he took office — in a county with a population of more than 10 million souls.
View this post on Instagram
By comparison, in 2019, Fresno County, California had 17,500 permits.
Quite frankly, getting a permit in Los Angeles County could not be more difficult.
Just the “good cause” requirement alone would stop most applicants cold.
According to LASD policy, “No Carrying a Concealed Weapon License (CCW) should be granted merely for the personal convenience of the applicant. Each application shall be individually reviewed for good cause. Good cause shall exist only if the following prevails: Sufficient evidence of potential danger to life or of great bodily harm to the applicant, his or her spouse or dependent child, which cannot be adequately dealt with by existing law enforcement resources and which danger cannot be reasonably avoided by alternative measures, and which danger would be significantly mitigated by the applicant’s carrying of a concealed firearm.”
The applicant must provide proof of this “potential danger,” either through police reports or restraining orders. They must also have a handgun registered in their name that is, of course, California compliant, and only use California-compliant ammunition.
They must also complete a 14-page application, which contains a long list of prohibiting crimes, including many misdemeanors.
Takeaways
If the good sheriff truly cared about the safety of his constituents, especially those who are most at risk, he would open the floodgates and remove as many barriers as possible for concealed-carry applicants.
While it’s true California is a may-issue state, sheriffs, and chiefs of police are authorized by state law to use their discretion when granting concealed-carry permits. Many of the state’s top cops have become de facto shall-issue grantors. Sheriff Villanueva could too if he were so inclined if he realized it would help deter crime.
His comments about trust – that an applicant must prove why the LASD should trust them to bear arms – is an affront to the constitution, which the Sheriff took an oath to support and defend. Maybe he should give it another read. He’d learn that no American citizen should be forced to prove their trustworthiness before exercising a constitutional right, nor should they be required to document “good cause” for exercising their rights.
Besides, it’s in his own best interests. Crime rates plummet every single time concealed-carry restrictions are loosened. It could happen in Los Angeles County too. All that’s required is a new mindset, or perhaps a new sheriff.
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About Lee Williams
Lee Williams, who is also known as “The Gun Writer”, has been writing about the Second Amendment, firearms, the firearms industry, and the gun culture for more than 10 years. Until recently, he was also an editor for a daily newspaper in Florida. Before becoming an editor, Lee was an investigative reporter at newspapers in three states and a U.S. Territory. Before becoming a journalist, he worked as a police officer. Before becoming a cop, Lee served in the Army. He’s earned more than a dozen national journalism awards as a reporter, and three medals of valor as a cop. Lee is an avid tactical shooter.
You get what you vote for. (Except in the case of President* SpongeBrain DependsPants, of course. Massive cheating was involved.)
You should read the actual law. Nowhere within it is the POTUS elected by popular vote.
Another elected law enforcement agent with no qualms infringing upon the rights of his constituents, S.O.P. A private security agency could never do this.
Key word “Elected”. The people are getting what they voted for. Let them drown in it.
hitler was elected , so people need to watch actions words are cheep and for symbolism navajo symbol of life universe and everything —- Germans usurped that and the thunderbird symbols of power and unity to destroy the demoncrats are still doing this corrupting symbols of good for evil words like gay which meant happy not queer changing gang violence to gun violence because they cant or wont try to stop gangs. police are useless referees, only people they control are the ones they should be protecting, oh yea I forgot their job is to solve crime not stop it,… Read more »
Sorry, Hitler and the Nazis didn’t even know the Navajo existed!
The swastika comes from the Indian Aryan people, although modified from the original.
Cheers from the oil patch in Central Wyoming
swmft – I generally agree with what you said, but had to read it several times to discern what you were saying. I’m not trying to be hypercritical and don’t want to start an argument, but your comments would be easier to read and understand with more consistent use of punctuation.
Cheers!
“why we should trust them to be armed in public”
This tells me all I need to know about this statist, elitist Oligarch.
What a bone headed grunt. Here’s my “good cause”….. I’m an American Citizen (Which gives me the RIGHT) and I’m a Woman, a real woman who does not possess a Y chromosome (Which makes me a target). That is all.
With crime stats like these, simply residing in Los Angeles County should be enough “good cause” to apply for a permit!
Apply for a permit to exercise your rights….where do you apply for the permit to worship God in the way you desire?
Amen!
dat’s whut eye wuz a thinkin.. hah, just bring in the front bage from the last week’s worh of L A Slimes, drop them on the table, point to them, and sY “my county of residence is a threat to my security, daily. READ THESE. Then turn a few pages to the Police Blotter page, and force him to read that. I was in communist/Cuban occupied Nicaragua for a season, and felt safer walking about unarmed in Managua than I ever have on the streets in Los Angeles County over the past twenty years. And I grew up in the… Read more »
Hmm, rising crime rates should be “sufficient evidence of potential danger to life or of great bodily harm to the applicant” lol
I have long stated that Leftist ideology and the Leftist agenda are based on lies, misinformation, and deception. The greatest enemies of the Left are facts, truth, and reality. Leftists cannot deal with facts and reality. In the case of concealed carry, it has long been a simple fact that concealed carry permit holders nationwide commit crimes at a lesser rate than law enforcement officers. Perhaps the good Sheriff should pull his head out of his lower orifice and begin dealing with reality. But I doubt that he will…
This guy is a total idiot. He can not name even one community that his present thinking on concealed carry has had the crime rate decrease. There hundreds of areas that concealed carry has indeed decreased the crime rate.
Obviously he is publicly showing his ignorance on the subject.
Note that Villanueva is not your run-of-the-mill 4-star Chief of Police – he is a 5-star Sheriff. Guess that puts him in the same league as Patton and Eisenhower. Villanueva talks about being concerned that anyone who “fogs a mirror” could get a CCW. Hmmm…anyone who walks into an Army-Navy Surplus Store can buy a 5-star cluster. Perhaps that is the greater concern here.
and establish a ‘good cause’ reason why they should be armed, why we should trust them to be armed in public. That is the threshold.” thus uttered the “good” sheriff who is anything BUT “good”. He’s got it striaght upside down. The Constitution of MY country declares I AHVE THE RIGHT, and it cannot be denied me wihtout proper cause, and a full hearing before a magistrate of competent jurisdiction. This guy is a powermonger, control freak, tyrant, mob boss He should look to the south and east one county.. Orange County’s sheirff is happy to issue Mother MayI Cards… Read more »
Using his own requirements every single person involved as a victim who wasn’t provided protection by law enforcement should bring suit against the sheriff’s office for lack of protection as their requirements of adequately being dealt with by law enforcement
Yeah, in a logical world where the Constitution actually held sway, you and every victim of crime in LA county would actually have a legal and constitutional argument! However, I do believe that it was in 2005 when the Robed Thugs of SCOTUS rendered a decision stipulating that the police, sheriffs, and Highway patrol, do not have a constitutional duty to protect civilians from criminal harm! Which of course renders that old slogan ‘protect and serve’, utterly null and void: so much for ethics and morality in law enforcement and from the Bench as well I must add! Cheers from… Read more »
Fourteen page “initial” application form, that’s all I needed to stop reading.
Yes still LA is going from 200 to 5,000 permit holders and more. Its not perfect but it’s getting better. A lot better.
Another government thug who violates his oath of office. Shocking!
The form is 14 pages but there are only 7 pages that require information. Several of those pages are for signatures and checking boxes.
The form can be completed on your computer (not on-line) and printed out. I spent 45 minutes completing the form. If approved I have to complete a training program.
My chance of the Sheriffs office “granting” a ccw are equivalent to a snowball’s chance in hell but not trying yeilds even worse odds.
The sheriff, the county, and the state of California should be sued in federal court for the failure to allow the rights of the citizens to carry without jumping threw hoops to get the CCW license. They allow illegal’s in their sanctuary cities. counties, and state, while keeping American citizens from using the rights granted by the founders of the country under the constitution. The California government has given the citizens the need for a CCW by the laws they have put in place allowing all the illegals into the state. Time for the citizens to take back their state… Read more »
rights affirmed not granted god gives rights ,thieves steal them away if you wont fight
You’re really going to have to start trying to educate yourself as to what is and is not a biblical Christian! Just using the term Christian is nonsensical, as it has no real meaning without specifics! Just because you call someone x does not mean that that someone is actually what x is and defined as, especially since you’re not bothering to provide a definition! How about you pull your head out for a moment, be honest, and actually address the issues rather than flinging out generalities? The vast majority of biblical Christians that I know actually happen to support… Read more »
I’m not pissed off, were I pissed off the nomenclature I would choose to use toward you would be readily apparent to not only you, but everyone else commenting in this thread. First order of business: there are not two worlds, three worlds, four worlds, or a bazillion and a half worlds as in the case of the fantasy/sci-fi series ‘Sliders’. There is just this one world in which to live, and this one life. So once again I have no clue what your point of reference for the false dichotomy you presented originates. Clue me. My Lord Jesus taught… Read more »
That is the problem. No one in California (or actually, Commiefornia) FIGHTS for their RIGHTS.
IF YOU DON’T FIGHT FOR THEM, no one else will, and they will be trampled.
Every citizen that stays and pays taxes yet doesn’t fight just gives them cover and reaffirms their position that the people are sheep that can be told what to do, how to do it, when to do it, and what they cannot do.
If you are in Law Enforcement, you should be pro-gun, otherwise you are a fraud.
In Law Enforcement there are two diametrically opposing views about civilian arms. The first: “We have our guns, since we are the law, so we don’t want anyone challenging our monopoly on deadly force”. The second: “We recognize that responsible gun owners could be an adjunct in law enforcement, often assisting police in violent encounters with dangerous criminals.” The two views, from a 2A perspective, are irreconcilable. Only further civilian gun rights advocacy could possibly make headway in expanding the later view.
The third view is that the responsibility of self protection on an individual basis falls on the individual and law enforcement is a tax payer funded convenience. “I have my gun so why do I need to pay law enforcement to take it away?”.
HLB
Cruiser, nearly all of them reject their oaths. You can call it fraud or treason or whatever.
They’re all pro-gun. They’re just not pro-2A. There’s a bug difference.
the trust argument goes to, the police in those areas are not trustworthy ,so why would they trust you
I would imagine that the LASD badge was designed long before that symbol was used by pedophiles.
The DemoKKKrat controlled State Police of Maryland added these two requirements that must be met in the;
MAY-not-ISSUE ANTI-FREEDOM, CONSTITUTIONAL STATE.
1.) Must have COURT PROOF that you are in immediate harm from gangsters.
2.) Must PROTECT banks money.
3.) Must own a company – this means you MIGHT be carrying someone elses’ money.
The fourth requirement is UNSPOKEN!
4.) Must have a politician who will speak-up for you.
“Danger which cannot be adequately dealt with by existing law enforcement resources and which danger cannot be reasonably avoided by alternative measures, and which danger would be significantly mitigated by the applicant’s carrying of a concealed firearm.”
BIG LOL…..
“LE resources” are wherever = you+family are where the danger is..!.
“the applicant” being a U.S. citizen has a 2nd Amendment Right…!
Unless a citizen was a violent felon “the 2nd is full permition”…!
I thought they got rid of this costume wearing clown, guess I was wrong, SMMFH.
Do any of you live in LA County? I do, and just a few years ago, out of the 10million residents only 200 had been issued!!! Since, under Villanueva, it’s now well over a thousand. And it’s just started. Today we have hope. I’m in a forum and for a may issue state, the only good cause needed is a background check! That is a miracle! Check this out! https://youtu.be/7-fxYUNd0DI (Gun Guy TV with CRPA) If you’re in another state, or county, I understand your “give me all or it might as well be nothing” mentality. But man, this is… Read more »
I bet if you grovel and beg enough, your masters may one day grant someone you know the super-duper privilege of being armed for their own defense. Sounds great. I bet if you learn to suck a mean dick, and then apply your new skill to the situation, your name will get moved up the list. Or not. Worth a try in your little Utopia, though, huh? Get after it!
Not helpful.
not helpful….but true.
perv
SMMFH
I know everybody wants to hate on LA County, but you guys need to do some research first before you make comments like this. It’s absolutely true that at the beginning of his time as sheriff, that he did nothing for CCW. In fact I applied and was denied. But something has changed, and this past year take a look at what is happening. There is a major change. I’ve applied again. And my app is moving. Check out the YouTube video link in my post above. Thanks.
I know compromise isn’t an answer. It sucks that the little I now have in LA County is a miracle.
I think the title of this article is click bait (got you all up in arms). “No better example…”? I could name hundreds of worse sheriffs at this point. @LeeWilliams should do more research before wasting time writing an article like this. There are literally thousands of LA County peeps that are finally getting an opportunity to carry, without waiting around for our terrible 9th circuit! I’ll take it.
I’m rather surprised, I didn’t take you to be an anti-biblical Christian bigot, but apparently that’s your cup of tea!
Why don’t you go ahead and explain to me concerning your anti-biblical Christian bigotry specifically please so I can better understand it!
Cheers from a biblical Christian in the oil patch in Central Wyoming
don’t forget there are many who wave that flag about but who are anything BUT true bible-believeing followers of Christ. Consider the present Chief Executive, his vile sidekick, and Nanny the Pugliugly Queen…… and NOT ONEof their “ministers” have the balls to deny them the sacraments.. or stand up against then in amy meaning ful way.
Not that I guy the whole caholic thing, ‘ve seen through that mess.
Hey there old prisoner in the great PacNorWest (aka, the Democratic People’s Republics of WA, OR)!! The art of proper argumentation in the academic/intellectual sense is almost non-existent these days! One need look no further than any Community College campus, four-year College campus, or the UW campus to see that honest, open, and empirical debate no longer exists: there are just screaming matches based upon emotion. However in these threads there are still people who can argue in the proper sense, I believe you are one such person! Hence, I believe you will understand my statement: I am anti-Roman Catholicism… Read more »
You really do have a contextual reading problem don’t you? You excel at conflation, Cross argument, and complete misassociation of subject matter! I never said that only biblical Christians had constitutional rights! Where in the world do you come up with this fecal matter? you were putting words into my mouth concerning subject matter which I did not promulgate! How about you try and stay on subject, contextually sticking to my actual words instead of trying to impart meanings which I never wrote? Open a bottle of beer, pour yourself a shot of whatever hard liquor you have, or perhaps… Read more »
Thanks. Best to you. Stay well. I can only dream of moving some day.
Some times you just have to take the leap of faith and do what you need to do to be free from tyranny, its well worth it.
You know, I thought that that other fellow’s “mean dick” comment to you about your attitude was over the top. After reading the above comment, I now find myself in agreement with his description about your comment: I generally do not care to engage in vulgarity, especially when debating issues. However, your comments are the perfect example of a slave mentality: you are literally begging/happy for Crumbs from your master’s table! You are in such denial it is truly amazing! Did you bother to take a look at the numbers between Fresno and LA? 17,500 concealed Carry permits for fresno,… Read more »
LA County just started “issuing” this year, April. Fresno since 1995. Hahaha! Again. Do your research. Besides waxing on from your dirt roads in Wyoming, what do you suggest I do? Seriously. What are my options? Move? Seriously.
We have real issues here, and I need real solutions. Moving forward, and applying what I read in the Bible, not just talking it/keyboard it. Sad.
Once again, I am not angry, I’m just simply tired of your misrepresentations of what I wrote!
Please take the time to actually address the specific issues that I write about, rather than rewriting and imparting your version of what I wrote!
Also, please stop conflating issues; you are a past Master at it and it does no one any good to further any debate!
Cheers from the oil patch in Central Wyoming
whaddy speck from ol Kayttt.. she IS part of the Brown Califnroia dynasty. Closely tied in to the like of the Gabbling Nuisance, former govs Edmund G,, the more recent Brown whose name is so important I can’t remember itj just now, and if I’m not msitaken to Pugliosi and/or Fine Stine.
Nepositm runs deem in the GOLDen State.
Don’t want to hurt your feelings,BUT, if you think that “moving up” is so good then you belong in L.A.County.
1000 permits issued. 10 million population…hahahahaha