Category: Born again Cynic!
Beverly Hills’ only gun shop, Beverly Hills Guns, received an order on April 7 advising the shop that it has 60 days to close.
Store owner Russell Stuart told Breitbart News the order came from property management. He recounted that his secretary received an envelope and walked to Stuart with sorrow in her eyes.
Stuart opened the envelope and read the order.
Beverly Hills Guns has been in existence for two years, at the same address, with zero issues. Stuart explained that the order to shutter the current store means he will have to find a new location, sign a lease, and only after signing a lease, get a new license from the ATF, approval from the California DOJ, and approval from the city of Beverly Hills. The cost in time, moving, and loss in sales could be astronomical.
Stuart told Breitbart News, “Beverly Hills Guns has been one of the most popular retail stores in the city and I’ve been incredibly proud of the work that we’ve been able to do to bring the Second Amendment to the city of Beverly Hills and to its residents, who have been experiencing one of the worst crime waves in the city’s history… As the 204th ranked safest city in California behind Long Beach and Inglewood, I am sad to see that the owners of my office do not feel the need to have a store like mine in their building during this crucial and dangerous time for our residents.”
On December 30, 2021, Breitbart News reported that the rich and famous were flocking to Beverly Hills Guns for protection from the craziness that has overtaken day-to-day life in Los Angeles.
At that time, Stuart told Los Angeles Magazine that his clientele included “prominent actors, real estate moguls and film execs.”
He noted surging sales in response to the crime that has overtaken Los Angeles, saying, “Everyone has a general sense of constant fear, which is very sad. We’re used to this being like Mayberry.”
Crime in Los Angeles continues to surge, posing a danger to law-abiding citizens.
For example, on March 23, 2022, Breitbart News reported that LAPD chief Michael Moore noted robberies with a firearm were up 44 percent in Los Angeles. But in less than 60 days, Beverly Hills Guns will be shuttered and will not be there to sell home defense and self-defense firearms to concerned, law-abiding citizens.
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio and a Turning Point USA Ambassador. Follow him on Instagram: @awr_hawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.
The New York Post says the problems originated at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Ground zero for woke district attorneys is a left-wing think tank in the heart of the Big Apple.
The soft-on-crime approach espoused by Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg and other progressive prosecutors in troubled Democratic cities has been nurtured and advanced by a policy center at John Jay College of Criminal Justice, no less.
. . .
The Institute’s symposiums and issue papers hold forth on topics such as race, officer-involved deaths and bail reform — all in a concerted effort to change the role of the prosecutor to be more proactive and less punitive.
“No one should be defined by their bad conduct alone,” the Institute’s “Vision for the Modern Prosecutor” declaration says about the accused.
Its position papers endorse charging accused criminals with fewer serious crimes or keeping them out of jail entirely. And it recommends that offenders not be called as such, but rather something that respects their “humanity.”
The Institute’s paper on “Creating a Culture of Racial Equity” suggests that a hotline be created for district attorneys so “whistleblowers” can turn in “internal obstructionists” not on board with their boss’ woke policies.
Another treatise on “How Prosecutors Can Support a Reimagined Police Response” bizarrely suggests celebrating times “when prosecutors exonerate someone.”
. . .
The institute says in its 2020 primer on “Prosecutorial Culture Change” that the job of the head prosecutor “is not to ‘win’ cases, impose long sentences, or ‘beat’ the defense. Instead, it is to promote safety, accountability, healing, trust, and empowerment.”
. . .
One CUNY professor called the Institute elitist and said it operates with “a smug sense of righteousness and smartness.”
“All of this unravels when you take it into communities, when you deal with victims,” the professor said. “This kind of rigid ideology does not survive the battlefield of reality in the community.”
Thomas Kenniff … said fair treatment was a noble objective but “can’t be a code word for abandoning the traditional role of the prosecutor — which is to assign consequence to crime.”
There’s more at the link.
Yes, I’d say that’s the problem, right there. When you turn “woke” scholars loose in an academic ivory tower, divorced from the problems of the real world, it doesn’t take long for the iron to enter their souls – and rust there. They lose sight of the effects of their nicely theoretical policies, and blather on about “equity” and “fairness” and all that stuff. Meanwhile, those of us who have to live every day with the criminals they set free to continue their lives of crime . . . we see it rather differently.
When I worked as a prison chaplain, I used to say to opponents of private ownership of firearms, and concealed carry permits, that I wanted them to come and spend just one day at work with me, surrounded by felons of the worst kind (I was stationed in a high-security penitentiary). I told them that when they left the place that evening, they’d do so permanently convinced of the error of their former attitudes, because encountering such felons “in the raw” is an eye-opening and life-changing (not to mention frequently very frightening) experience.
They didn’t believe me, of course – the convinced liberal seldom, if ever, allows the real world to challenge his or her preconceptions – but I knew the truth, and they didn’t. I’d learned it the hard way. They’d been shielded from that.
That’s the problem with these professors. They think they understand reality. In fact, they understand only a very limited subset of reality, the liberal cocoon in which they’ve lived most of their lives. They’ve never had to live in fear of a violent felon kicking down their doors and assaulting, robbing, raping or murdering them – but that’s a daily reality in many of our inner cities.
Instead of siding with the victims, as they should, they see only the liberal shibboleths that elevate the offenders onto a pedestal of victimization, deprivation and circumstance. “They couldn’t help it! They’re products of their environment!” scream the liberals. Yeah, right. So are their victims – but there are a lot more victims than perpetrators, and none of the former developed the habits of the latter. That argument fails in the face of that logic.
Criminals gonna criminal, to coin a phrase. It’s been that way since Cain killed Abel, and nothing’s changed since then. Nothing will ever change, because human nature is the same as it’s always been. Prosecutors and District Attorneys who fail to recognize and deal with that reality are putting the rest of us at risk, and should be dealt with accordingly.
| In 2020, then-presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg was asked how he could continue to demand gun control while being protected by private guards equipped with the same firearms and magazines that he wanted to ban others from owning. “Does your life matter more than mine or my family’s or these people’s?” Bloomberg’s response, in essence, was that he was not an ordinary person. He was a celebrity and billionaire who received more threats than most people: “That just happens when you are the mayor of New York City or you are very wealthy.” |
By Roxroy Ballers
Earlier this month, California Assemblyman Jim Cooper (D), a former police officer who is running for Sacramento County Sherriff, left a loaded handgun in a carry-on bag while trying to get through a federal checkpoint at the Sacramento International Airport.
While the incident is under investigation, so far there has been no citation and the lawmaker has been given back his gun and sent on his way.
The Sacramento Bee reports that last year nearly 6,000 people nationwide were “caught” with a gun in carry-on luggage at TSA Airport Checkpoints. Most of these individuals were licensed concealed carriers who, on accident, forgot to properly check their firearms.
SEE ALSO: Airplane Mode: How To Fly With A Firearm
As the NRA-ILA noted in its coverage of this incident, the consequences of a loaded gun in an airport can come from both state and federal authorities, meaning there is the potential for a double whammy for violating both California law (which may include jail time, a fine, or both) and Federal law (which may include a civil fine of $3,000 to $10,000).
According to SacBee, Assemblyman Cooper’s gun was stored for him while on his trip and then returned to him when he arrived back in Cali. So far, no citation, fines, or jail time — just a nod and wink for the former man in blue.
The NRA, given the plight of Jim Cooper, has graciously offered to partner on legislation that would help de-criminalize this type of accident for ordinary citizens as well as California big shots.
In a twist of irony, the NRA also notes that Jim Cooper, despite taking advantage of his right to carry, has actually authored legislation that would criminalize the “traditional right of Americans to make their own firearms for personal use without government interference.”
We can only hope that this mishap works to change Cooper’s perspective and that instead of looking to trample 2A rights, he looks to expand them for everyday Californians by supporting shall-issue carry laws.
Because the right to freely carry firearms for self-defense applies to all law-abiding citizens, not just those in positions of power.
Arab Israeli from southern Bedouin town stabs woman at gas station, rams cyclist, then attacks others at shopping center; attacker was formerly imprisoned for Islamic State ties
A suspected assailant being shot in Beersheba on March 22, 2022. (Screenshot: Twitter)
Four Israelis were killed and two others wounded Tuesday in a ramming and stabbing attack at an outdoor shopping mall in Beersheba officials said, in Israel’s deadliest terror attack in years.
According to police, the assailant first stabbed a woman to death at a gas station in the southern city. He then entered his car and rammed a cyclist, before getting out again and stabbing several people at the BIG shopping center.
The terrorist was confronted by an armed bus driver, who attempted to get him to lower his weapon, footage from the scene showed. The attacker lunged at the driver, who shot him alongside a second armed Israeli civilian. First responders reported that the stabber died from the gunshot wounds.
Police commissioner Kobi Shabtai said the entire incident lasted eight minutes, with police officers arriving at the scene four minutes after being alerted. “Citizens displayed resourcefulness and killed the terrorist in the initial minutes,” he said.
Magen David Adom medics reported that a 40-year-old Israeli woman died on the scene after being stabbed. Five other victims of the attack were rushed to Soroka Medical Center, where the cyclist and two of the stabbing victims died of their wounds.
The two remaining wounded women were initially listed in serious condition, but were later downgraded to moderate and stable.
The four fatalities were later named as Doris Yahbas, 49, a mother of three, Laura Yitzhak, 43, another mother of three, Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, a father of four, and Menahem Yehezkel, 67.
Palestinian media identified the stabber as 34-year-old Mohammad Ghaleb Abu al-Qi’an, a terror convict from the Bedouin town of Hura in the Negev. Abu al-Qi’an, who died of his wounds on the scene, had served four years in prison for plotting to join the fundamentalist Islamic State terror group in Syria. He was released in 2019. Shabtai said he likely acted alone in Tuesday’s attack.
Tuesday’s rampage was the deadliest attack on Israeli civilians since June 2016, when two terrorists opened fire at Tel Aviv’s Sarona Market, killing four people and wounding 16.
The Hamas terror group praised the stabbing attack, saying it “salutes the executor of the heroic operation in occupied Beersheba.” The terror group did not claim the stabber as a member, however.
“The occupation’s crimes shall be met with heroic operations: stabbings, rammings and shootings,” Hamas spokesperson Abd al-Latif al-Qanou told official Hamas radio.
The scene of a car ramming and stabbing attack at the BIG shopping center in Beersheba, southern Israel, on March 22, 2022. (Flash90)
The bus driver who confronted and shot the terrorist later recounted trying to talk the stabber down before shooting him.
Arthur Chaimov told Channel 12 he’d arrived at a traffic circle near the BIG shopping center, and first thought there had been a car accident. But when he saw a man running around seemingly brandishing a knife, he got out of the bus with his personal weapon.
“I got closer and then I saw he had a knife. I saw a man [lying] wounded. I told [the stabber] several times: ‘I’m asking you to put down the knife. I won’t shoot you. He said ‘No.’”
Arthur Chaimov, a bus driver who shot a terrorist after a deadly stabbing attack in Beersheba, speaks to the Kan public broadcaster, March 22, 2022. (screenshot)
Al-Qi’an lunged at him several times, with Chaimov moving back each time, as seen in a video of the incident. Eventually, the assailant got too close and Chaimov, sensing danger, fired his weapon.
Chaimov stressed he’d done all he could to avoid shooting the terrorist and was pained to have done so, despite al-Qi’an’s murderous actions.
“He’s a person, not an animal you need to kill. He was also a person… We’re human beings, we’re not animals,” Chaimov said. “I’m not used to such a situation, to shoot a person. I’m sorry for him but he brought it on himself.”
Speaking from the scene of the stabbing, Shabtai said cops were being put on high alert out of fear of copycat attacks. The police chief also said police and Shin Bet investigators were checking whether the attacker had help, but think he acted alone.
“This terrorist carried out a murderous heinous rampage, ramming people and stabbing them. We haven’t confronted something on this scale in some time,” Shabtai said. “We have bolstered national preparedness out of concern for copycat attacks.”
The four victims of a terror attack in Beersheba on March 22, 2022: Laura Yitzhak, top left; Rabbi Moshe Kravitzky, top right; Doris Yahbas, bottom left; Menahem Yehezkel, bottom right. (Social media/courtesy)
Video showed a number of people yelling “shame” as Shabtai spoke, apparently in protest of the police response.
The attack comes amid a string of attacks in Jerusalem and the West Bank.
On Sunday, two officers were hurt in a suspected stabbing attack in East Jerusalem’s Ras al-Amud neighborhood, and on Saturday, an Israeli man was stabbed and lightly hurt when he was out jogging on Jerusalem’s Hebron Road.
Earlier this month there were several attacks in Jerusalem’s Old City, and in a nearby West Bank town.
Tensions have between Israel and the Palestinians in recent weeks across the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Ten Palestinians were killed in violent confrontations with Israeli troops: some died in gun battles with Israeli soldiers in the West Bank, while others during attempted attacks.
The scene of a car ramming and stabbing attack outside the ‘BIG’ shopping center in Beer Sheva, southern Israel, on March 22, 2022. (Flash90)
Defense Minister Benny Gantz offered his condolences to the victims’ families. “The IDF and security forces will use all means to prevent terrorist incidents, as much as possible. We are on high alert against all threats in all areas,” Gantz said.
“We will make sure that anyone who encourages or supports the latest attacks, will pay a price,” Gantz added during a tour of the military’s northern command.
Arab Israeli parties condemned the attack. Both the Islamist Ra’am party – which is a member of the coalition government — and the opposition Joint List party used the word “pigua,” which is widely used in Hebrew to describe any nationalistic attack, but which strongly implies terrorism.
“Ra’am condemns this despicable attack in Beersheba and sends its condolences to the families of those murdered,” Ra’am said in statement.
“Ra’am calls on all citizens to preserve the common, fragile social fabric, to be responsible and advance a discourse of tolerance in this difficult hour,” Ra’am added.
Joint List chief Ayman Odeh said he was shocked by the stabbing attack, which he deemed a “murderous incident.”
“Violence is not our way and we must condemn it with all our might,” Odeh wrote on Twitter.
——————————————————————————– Sounds to me that a Good man with a gun is better than a Nut with a Knife – Grumpy
A couple years ago I was working security at a bar in northern Virginia. I overheard a table of college kids arguing about gun rights and gun control and it was getting far too emotional so I did what any sane combat veteran would do and attempted to exfiltrate. I must not have withdrawn as surreptitiously as I intended, because I was stopped in my tracks when a 5-foot-nothing brunette seemingly leapt in front of me and blurted out “excuse me, can you help us?”
I’m sure I must have looked irritated as I cycled through the possible quips and excuses I considered available to me but being uncertain that she wasn’t some Senator’s daughter, I caved: “What’s up?”
She basically leads me to this table of 2 other females (probably both named Karen) and a very soft looking male.
Becky: “So, we were just talking about current events and, you know. So, you look like you’re probably in the military, right? Like the Army?”
(When you accuse someone of being in the military you probably don’t need to give an example.)
Me: “Similar.. yea”
Becky: “Right. Okay. So, do you think civilians should be allowed to own guns?”
Me: “Most of us. Yes.”
Becky: (clearly not happy with my answer) “Okay, so, why do you think you need a gun?”
(At this point it’s almost 2am and I’ve just given up on patience. Hold my beer.)
(With intentionally overt condescension): “Oh, honey, I don’t. I don’t need a gun.”
Becky stares at me blankly, so I continue, but with a more serious tone:
“I could follow you home, walk up your driveway, and beat you to death with the daily newspaper.
I could choke you to death with that purse.
I could take a credit card, break it in half, and cut your throat open with it.
With enough time and effort I could beat your boyfriend here with a rolled up pair of socks.
I could probably dream up six dozen other ways I could easily end your life if you gave me an hour or so.
If I wanted to, I could wrap my hand around that beer mug and kill all four of you before you could make it to the exit. The worst part is, in your utopian little fantasyland, there ain’t a thing any of you could do about it.
I don’t need a gun.
You need a gun.
You need a gun because of men like me.”