LAPD and BATFE target criminals
According to NBC Los Angeles the Los Angeles Police Department and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives teamed up for a six month investigation that led to seventeen arrests in San Bernadino Valley in a series of pre-dawn raids targeting illegal guns in the hands of known criminals. Some of the criminals are looking at 5 to 10 years mandatory sentences;
From February to July, ATF and LAPD personnel conducted a joint investigation,” working the streets and targeting violent offenders, the criminal activity of gang members, shooters and multi-convicted felons,” according to an ATF statement.
“These individuals were involved in illegal firearm possession/sales, narcotics distribution and shootings within the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles County,” the ATF said.
Investigators used confidential informants to introduce an ATF undercover agent, who made controlled purchases of contraband from the suspects resulting in the seizure of 30 weapons, including restricted firearms such as short-barrel rifles and silencers, and about 18 pounds of methamphetamine.
Three felons of the group targeted are still on the run.
This seems like a much more productive way to get guns of the streets of LA rather than LAPD’s gun buy-back programs. More cities should move towards this kind of enforcement and away from the staged media events. However, the work/productivity bar seems light. I’m pretty sure that these seventeen arrests won’t even put a dent in Los Angeles County’s gun problems.
So this is just a good start.
“Removing even one gun from the streets means one less Angeleno robbed, shot or murdered,” [LAPD Chief Charlie] Beck said. “Nearly 950 people have been shot in Los Angeles this year; 169 have been murdered with a firearm. Removing illegal guns is one of the LAPD’s highest priorities and working with our federal partners will help make our communities safer.”
It’s not about getting guns off the street, Chief, it’s about getting criminals off the street. The guns by themselves don’t commit crimes.
Washington, DC banned guns forty years ago and they still take two thousand off the street every year.
Category: Guns
This is a good start, but the cynical part of me says 30 guns are only the tip of the iceberg, maybe 1% of the actual number in use. They’re heading in the right direction, though.
3000 guns?
THAT number might be 1 percent of the total. But I’m probably lowballing that number, too.
Gotta start somewhere.
They (finally) picked a good way & place. Keep it up, guys.
Jerry Brown will let them out of prison very quickly. Their commitment offense will not be listed as a violent one so the state will let them out after a few months. The cops know this, the prisoners know this and the prosecutors and prison officials know this. It is all feel good, make a headline bullshat. California is sewer, four more years and I will be living on my property in Arizona.
Just make sure nobody follows you and be sure to close the gate on your way, Sgt M. Don’t need any more of those California types trying to change Arizona into the granola bowl they left.
I’ve often been asked why I choose to stay in California (Soviet Socialist Republik of). There’s several reasons. For one, there’s lots of good people here, who get increasingly tired of being dictated by two or three counties every day. For another, this is (mostly) a nice place, and I see no reason to just let the hippies have it. And finally, this is my home, and I refuse to be run out.
Moonbeam’s new anti-AR laws just mean that he’s about to experience an unprecedented level of civil disobedience, as legal gun owners in this state are almost universally telling him to get fucked and refusing to register or modify their weapons. By passing a law nobody will follow, he’s accomplished nothing other than advertizing his impotence for all to see.
Well, since the ATF was involved, hopefully these guys will be looking at Federal time, and Jerry Brown will have no say in the matter.
Which means that Obama will let them out in a few months.
(He’s only got a few months left in office to turn as many criminals loose on the streets as possible).
The only way to make LA safer, or Chicago, etc…is simple.
Break the banks and backs of organized gang black market trade in drugs…
That’s not being done, organized gang activities are no different than any other RICO organization. In fact one might argue with gangs it should be easier since they self identify as members through the use of tattoos and clothing colors. They basically are wearing identifying fucking uniforms signifying their membership in a corrupt organization that traffics in drugs and misery.
Instead of worrying about baking a cake for a couple of gays or who’s pissing where maybe we can actually find a couple of legislators who aren’t full off shit when it comes to reducing drug related violent crime.
Or not, we seem pretty content to let 5,000 murders of blacks go relatively unreported or under reported because it doesn’t really affect anyone outside the geographical areas where drug trafficking takes place for the most part.
That’s far too logical and sensible. Therefore, it cannot be done by the Feds.
“LAPD and BATFE target criminals”
I would initially say, “isn’t that what they’re supposed to do in the first place?” But then I live in the real world and realize it isn’t always that obvious.
BATF should be a convenience store, not a Federal entity.
“Nearly 950 people have been shot in Los Angeles this year; 169 have been murdered with a firearm”. Hell, that sounds almost like a normal weekend in Chicago. 🙂
Now, if the U.S. Attorney will maintain jurisdiction, and actually try these cases and not bargain them away, that would seem to ensure that some time would actually be served by those arrested.