Sheriff Alex Villanueva
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)

Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva saw an opportunity yesterday and took it. Governor Gavin Newsom’s stay-at-home order shutting down most businesses in the state didn’t mention gun stores. Villanueva said he didn’t like the panic gun buying and the idea of a lot of first-time buyers with firearms.

Los Angeles County residents rushed to gun stores as the coronavirus spread across the U.S. last week, forming long lines in a fit of panic-buying, a top law enforcement official told NBC News.

Sheriff Alex Villanueva says the gun buying bonanza came just before a stay-at-home order was put in place. Gun shops, like other nonessential businesses, are now closed across the county.

“You can’t shoot a virus,” Villanueva told NBC News. “But if we ever get to the point of a foreign invasion or zombie apocalypse, I’ll make sure they are open.”

– Mansee Khurana in Los Angeles County gun shops drew a barrage of buyers before lockdown

So Villanueva ordered gun stores in the county closed.

The pushback was immediate and fierce, with some local officials deciding that citizens’ safety and their ability to protect themselves as more important than the Sheriff’s alleged concerns.

Finally, after a legal opinion from the county’s attorney, Villanueva has backed off and will allow Governor Newsom to decide what is essential.

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139 COMMENTS

    • Does the 10-day wait when getting on the ‘right to purchase ammo list’ will take at least 30 days for a new person? The whole knerfuckle of CA guns laws needs clean slated and redone. Maybe now CA voters will wake up and realize what a cesspool their state has become because of the leftist anti-gun thinking.

      • Maybe this will be a wake up call to residents that it’s time to deliberalize the lawmakers and educate the voters. A person must be able to protect himself from the criminals.

        • “deliberalize”? Is that a new form of the notion heretofore known as “reeducation camp”?

          That is, we should:
          – declare liberals and progressives as “counter-revolutionary” (1776);
          – send those so designated to reeducation camp; and,
          – compel them to read the:
          – – Constitution,
          – – Bill of Rights,
          – – Federalist Papers, and
          – – Anti-Federalist Papers
          until they repent?

          Hmmmmm. Have to think about that.

        • Well, if there were any ammo to be found in California.

          I’ve heard in one area, the gun dealer was kindly supplying one (1) magazine load of ammo with each new gun…

      • Randy said, “CA guns laws needs clean slated and redone. Maybe now CA voters will wake up”
        A better read would be, Ca gun laws need to be clean slated/repealed/eliminated!” Not Redone. As to whether Ca voters will “wake up”, remains to be seen.

      • ” The whole knerfuckle of CA guns laws needs clean slated and redone ”

        How about we just stop at clean slated?

  2. Hey Sheriff, what you think doesnt really mean sh*t! You’re hired to protect people, AND help people protect themselves.

    • Actually, sheriffs are hired to enforce the law, NOT protect people. Most of ours laws don’t protect anyone, and frequently they even do the opposite. Law enforcement on the whole doesn’t give a shit about protecting anyone so long as the rules are enforced

      • Probably why “To protect and to serve” is on LA police cars, eh?

        • “Probably why “To protect and to serve” is on LA police cars, eh?”

          Can PDs who sport such false advertising be sued for same?

    • Aaaaa, the ‘Some Animals Are More Special Than Others’ Loophole, got it!

      “Sheriff Alex Villanueva said earlier that a “loophole” had allowed gun shops to stay open, and many attracted long lines of customers. Villanueva said the order was meant to keep open gun and ammunition businesses that support police departments and other security organizations.”

  4. “Villanueva said he didn’t like the panic gun buying and the idea of a lot of first-time buyers with firearms.”
    Now substitute voting for gun buying.
    Imagine an important election coming up and thousands of new people go to vote and the local sheriff says he doesn’t like the idea of a lot of first time voters with ballots so he’s shutting down the polling places.
    How’s it sound now?

    • I do like the idea of a lot of more voters that are gun owners. Hoping they will get a clue and start sending weasels like Villanueva and Newsom packing.

      • “I do like the idea of a lot of more voters that are gun owners.”

        It’s an excellent opportunity to make some campaign ads for the fall :

        “Remember who tried to keep you from being armed when the virus hit and society was breaking down?”

  5. Even with this act of stupidity, I doubt the people of LA County realize their Sheriff is more afraid of armed law abiding citizens than the thousands of release prisoners.

  6. I’m not usually a smug guy, but damn I’m feeling good we took our gun store and family to Idaho several years ago. Watching the people in CA/NY/NJ that voted, or better yet did not even bother to vote, realize they gave away their freedom to evil politicians reaffirms all the sacrifices we made were the right choice.

    • I’m with you. We moved to Idaho in 2004 from Kalif. even though we lived up in Siskiyou County I had to get out of the state because I would not register my AR-15 & Dawoo. Now I will live FREE here in Idaho!!!

      • I applaud you guys, and would like to move from Washington as well. But you need to be extra vigilant. A bit more invasion of the Boise/Pocatello/Sun Valley region by left wingers, and Idaho will be lost as well.

        • Oiy vey, this seems like deja vu. Have we had this conversation before, amongst the same four people?

          I myself almost moved to Boise/Meridian back in the ’90s, but a great opportunity came my way here in SoCal (I’ve been with the same employer ever since). Of course, back then CA was still a purple state under a Republican Governor, before Gray Davis kicked off two decades of Leftist madness.

          After this pandemic settles down, though, I wonder if enough people are waking up to the absurdity to change some of their votes in November. One of the few good things about this COVID-19 is the timing…it’s happening on Election Year.

        • What Defens said, I was about to post something similar.
          Anti constitutional freaks are expert in invading other states and turning them into a liberal nightmare. Look at parts of Florida, North Carolina, Texas, Arizona….while they seem more attracted by the sun and the sand, you’re never safe.

        • When I was in college in Idaho in 1969 there were ALREADY bumper stickers reading “Don’t Californicate Idaho” – at least it hasn’t been totally over run – yet – like WA and OR.

    • BUT did you Komifornia refugees arrive in your new home and pollute it with your enlightened Komifornian enlightened “wisdom” on how thing “should” be run. Such is certainly the standard all across the West. Way too little tar and feathers in the Western US.

      • Control what you can control, I.e. locals can decide to NOT let leftist invaders influence themselves. I live amongst the Dem voters and still vote Republican.

      • To answer your question. As Rush says “We are to the right of Atila the Hun”!! And as long as WE are alive will always fight to keep it a Red State.

  7. Instead of shutting down a Constitutional Right the silly sheriff should have shutdown his disgusting, incompetent piehole.
    VOTE these anti gun dirtbags OUT.

      • If you are really Eric Swallow-well, I often refer to you on Fox and other venues as inferior to a box of rocks intelligence wise. Your presidential run along with your frequent blathering during “The Impeachment” served to illustrate your status as in imbecile.

        • I don’t know what all those big words mean, but it’s good to know I can count on you this November my friend!….. you are voting for me right?

          Eric Swalwell 2020

  8. Once again, California’s voters get precisely what they voted for – leftist, statist authoritarians who are more concerned about identity politics and graft than they are about fulfilling their oaths to uphold the Constitution.

  9. PEACE OFFICER OATH OF OFFICE, State of California California Constution Article 20, Sec. 3. Misc. Subjects [Required Oath of Office]

    ” I, ___________________________, do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the United States and the Constitution of the State of California; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties upon which I am about to enter.

    “And I do further swear (or affirm) that I do not advocate, nor am I a member of any party or organization, political or other- wise, that now advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence or other unlawful means; that within the five years immediately preceding the taking of this oath (or affirmation) I have not been a member of any party or organization, political or other-wise, that advocated the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence or other unlawful means. I will not advocate nor become (name of office) a member of any party or organization, political or otherwise, that advocates the overthrow of the Government of the United States or of the State of California by force or violence or other unlawful means.”

      • monte – not ALL of them – but far too many of the political animal types – especially appointed police chiefs – do that it casts aspersions on the true professionals who DO abide by that oath. Probably not quite as bad as 99% of liars er um lawyers give the other 1% a bad name but still too many for comfort.

    • Thx, enuf. I’ll copy this text and add it to my personal library of reference docs.

      Do you have the link where you found this? I’m not seeing any proper references when I search, for some reason. I know Google has been messing around with search algorithms in recent days…

    • And they had their fingers crossed behind their backs as they signed it. Doncha know that invalidates the signature?

  10. Why doesn’t the sheriff shut down the criminals? The criminals are being given the green light for their ‘livelyhood’ to hell with law-abiding citizens. The scum/criminals/sheriff will (may) learn a thing or two when the people start to use these self-defense tools and start shooting said scum!

    • Because to leftists criminals are ideologically close and citizens are ideologically apart. It’s all in the Marxian dialectic.

    • “What does….James Campbell have to say about this issue?”

      He can tell all the new buyers (via multiple comm channels) that they can protect themselves in their homes, only, forever, because he decides who can protect themselves outside the home.

      • “He can tell all the new buyers (via multiple comm channels) that they can protect themselves in their homes, only, forever, because he decides who can protect themselves outside the home”

        Da fuk?
        GAC, don’t have “multiple comm channels”. Also, never claimed ANY non-felon citizen should be restricted from carrying a firearm outside their home.

    • The issue of you trolling TTAG, or the issue of your weekly salad tosses with the troll farm?
      For the former, put some big pants on and get out of mommies basement, or at a minimum, find a hobby.
      For the latter, keep a good supply of breath mints on hand, because you LOVE tongue punching fart boxes WAY too much to give it up.
      Enjoy your no gun owning life snowflake, and the TDS.
      Trump/Pence 2020!

        • What a pathetic POS loser you are, a true poster child for taxpayer funded abortions.
          You need to get out of mommies basement ASAP to save what little bit of sanity you have left snowflake.
          Hiding out in a basement during the Trump/Pence 2nd term will not be kind to you.

      • “You can’t shoot a CHINESE virus…”

        Not so.

        .9mm is quite effective. Just takes some time to get good at it.

        6.5CM or Grendel is worthless for the task.

  13. At first saw the headline in the LA Times online, I disagreed with what the sheriff was doing. I assumed he was just another anti-gun politician taking advantage of the coronavirus situation. But then when I read his statement, I changed my mind. He is correct in saying it is a bad time (panic buying) and a poor situation (with whole families at home together) for neophytes to be purchasing firearms. When I visited my local gunshop to drop off a gun for the gunsmith, I asked if them how sales where. They said the guns were flying off the shelf, which was good for business. But they were concerned about the people buying the guns, in that they had no experience at all with firearms. It’s not like they were buying 22lr firearms to learn with, but purchasing 9mm handguns and ar15s as their very first firearm, then standing in the store asking how to operate it, with no knowledge of the basics of gun safety, most having never even fired a gun before.
    Am I the only gun owner concerned about this? Yes, I want to see more gun owners. The more citizens who own firearms the more likely our rights will be respected and protected. But guns are dangerous – they are designed to kill. What we need are more informed, knowledgeable, responsible gun owners.
    So I agree with the sheriff, who also happens to be a second amendment supporter.
    (and yes, I know I will get flamed for posting this, but, oh well.)

    • So it sounds like you are the judge as to when a person can purchase said weapon(s).
      Retarded

      • All I know is that if your a first time guy owner who’s never handled a gun before and has no knowledge of gun safety; stay away from me.

        • @S R,

          “All I know is that if your a first time guy owner who’s never handled a gun before and has no knowledge of gun safety; stay away from me.”

          Okay, now at least that is a statement I can accept. You are, at least, respecting others’ right to acquire guns and start the learning process, even though you prefer to be in proximity with only more experienced POTG. That’s understandable.

          What Villanueva should have done is announced his concerns and provided links to approved online firearms education, not close shops. Villanueva – unlike his predecessor McDonnell – has been openly anti-gun and stated he will not ever approve CCWs for private citizens, so we don’t buy his statement that he considers himself to be “pro 2A”.

        • In California, one must re ad a Firearms Safety Guide, take and pass a true/false 35 question test about gun laws and safe handling practices, and pay $25 for a Firearms Safety Certificate before being able to purchase a firearm. I think the cert. is good for a couple of years. Further, a buyer must do a safe handling demonstration of the purchased firearm before it will be delivered, which involves checking for clear, loading, safeing, then unloading and checking for clear. The FFL will typically demonstrate the process, and then the buyer has to perform it until completing the sequence successfully.

          Which of course poses the question: after going through all of this, why is the Sheriff worried? Further, I am sure that we are all aware that nationwide there are typically around 5000 firearm injuries due to negligence each year, with fewer than 1000 fatalities .

    • IN now way is he a 2nd Amendment supporter. Nothing he has ever said nor any of his policies would indicate that.

    • OK. Panic-buying neophytes should be added to the list of persons who are not covered by a natural, human and civil right to use firearms to defend themselves. Thanks for the update. Am keeping a spreadsheet of people, or groups of people who, are exceptions to the Second Amendment. It is difficult just keeping the list in my head.

      • That Constitution is a pesky document. FlaBoy goes on the “I support the second amendment but” list.

    • He sounds just like the other dem politicians that only want guns in the hands of “highly trained professionals”. You want to protect your family? Just hire a professional security team like us!

      Speaking of anti-guns for you dim politicians…

      Bloomberg sued by aides for stiffing them on yearlong pay promise.
      The filing comes on the same day as another class action brought by a former Bloomberg field organizer that similarly argues the employees were tricked into taking jobs they were told would continue for a year.

      https://www.politico.com/news/2020/03/23/mike-bloomberg-aides-pay-lawsuits-144185

    • FlaBoy, I actually agree with you. It is scary when people with no experience with firearms are buying weapons without any training. Hopefully, those first time buyers get trained ASAP. As for getting flamed by others, TTAG has a lot of old, crusty, knuckle-dragging, ignorant, stubborn Trump worshipping idiots with nothing better to do than watch Fox News all day and fear the changing world.

      • Thanks for the comment. But note, I happen to be an old, crusty, knuckle-dragging, hopefully only partially ignorant, Trump supporter who watches a lot of Fox news and who happens to own enough guns to open a small gun store and enough ammo (most stockpiled when we thought Hillary might win the Presidency) to start a small war. We live on fifty acres surrounded by other farms, which allows me to shoot almost every day. Most of my friends are crusty, old fart conservatives like me. They, like me, all support Trump, although we do not always agree with him. Unfortunately, in Florida, we are already a minority and soon our vote will not count, as more and more liberal “northerners” (note use of polite term) move to our state.

      • “It is scary when people with no experience with firearms are buying weapons without any training.”

        Training is good. Training can be fun. Mandatory training not necessary. If one looks at all the reported shootings, it is difficult to find any where the defenders were “trained”. The only “training” a person really needs is a quick explanation of how to load/unload and the “four rules”. The majority of legal gun owners are not likely prepping for the apocalypse, nor for a home invasion by ten or more invaders. With an alleged 100 million legal gun owners, the chance the majority (much less the overwhelming majority) have been “trained” as it is generally understood (i.e. formal classes and shooting demonstration).

        Just as the anti-gun mafia is clueless about how many people they walk among who are armed, legal gun owners (especially activists) have no idea how many other legal gun owners they encounter who have about zero “training”.

        Training is good. Everyone should take formal firearms training. It is not scary that the majority of legal gun owners are not “trained”, it is normal.

        • There was a time when you bought a gun, and if you were unfamiliar with how it worked, you took it out behind the gun store and popped off a couple dozen rounds. Can’t do that any more, so if there is a dearth of familiarity with firearms, blame it on the Demanding Moms.

          • “…so if there is a dearth of familiarity with firearms, blame it on the Demanding Moms.”

            Exactly.

            Like your phrase, “Demanding Moms”. Like it alot.

    • FlaBoy,

      But guns are dangerous – they are designed to kill.

      You are wrong. Guns are designed to launch a projectile/s in a controlled, repeatable, predictable way. Nothing more and nothing less.

      Furthermore, only 20% (give or take) of people who receive gunshot wounds die from their wounds. Gunshot victims having an 80% survival rate demonstrates the embarrassing failure of the intended purpose that you claim.

      Perhaps more importantly, looking at the entire picture, we can see that firearms are a spectacular failure at killing. People in the United States use firearms millions of times a year for all manner of applications, from simple collecting, to training, recreational target shooting, and competitive shooting. Thus, the 8,000 or so instances every year in the United States where someone uses a firearm to kill someone pales in comparison to the millions of instances every year that someone in the United States uses a firearm and does not kill someone.

      With respect to their application on humans, firearms are a compliance tool, not a death tool. People in the United States use firearms at least 100,000 times a year to stop attackers. And they don’t even pull the trigger in the overwhelming majority of those instances. Defenders merely present their firearm to stop their attacker. And, attackers do just the same, merely presenting their firearm without even pulling the trigger. In both applications the person with the firearm is compelling the other person to comply with their demands. In the righteous use case, the victim is compelling the attacker to comply with the victim’s demand to leave the victim alone. In the criminal use case, the attacker is compelling the victim to comply with the attacker’s demand to give the attacker whatever the attacker wants from the victim.

      • Sorry, but I disagree. Going back in time, clubs, then spears, then bows, then crossbows, and then firearms…all were designed to reach out and kill things. Yes, we use them not only to kill things but to punch holes in paper, break bricks, clang gongs, etc, but they were originally meant to kill things. And granted, other things can kill as well, ie, nail guns, but they were not specifically designed to do so.

        • ” firearms…all were designed to reach out and kill things ”

          Well, now, I am depressed.

          In my 55+ years of shooting firearms of all types, I must have pulled that trigger hundreds of thousands, maybe into the millions of times. And nothing got killed.

          So now here you come along and tell me that all my guns, over all those years, have NOT been functioning the way they were designed? This is a massive design fail. We need a class-action lawsuit filed right away.

          I AM depressed.

    • FlaBoy,

      By the way the solution to your concerns is exceedingly simple: those of us who know how to use firearms responsibly should teach newbies how to use firearms responsibly.

      And that isn’t rocket science. Teaching is easy.

      It starts with explaining the “four rules”, with the most emphasis on pointing the firearm in the safest possible direction at all times, and the second most emphasis on keeping your finger off of the trigger until you are pointed at a safe target.

      The second aspect of teaching responsible use of firearms is demanding that everyone verify a firearm is unloaded in both chamber and magazine AND locking the action open before handing a firearm over to someone for training or even “show-and-tell”.

      Finally, we instruct the manual-of-arms for any given firearm, which is simple of course.

      All of the above takes all of five minutes, maybe 10 minutes tops, to teach.

      Last important detail: begin live-fire training with only one cartridge loaded at a time until the trainee is competent, which might take all of 15 minutes or so. Many trainees will be excited and/or nervous at first and tend to point their firearm at other people after pulling the trigger. Only loading one cartridge at a time guarantees that they cannot harm anyone if they make that initial mistake.

      Note: after the trainee has mastered all of the above, including live-fire practice constrained to only one cartridge at a time, instruct the trainee what to do if they pull the trigger and cartridge does not fire or produces a “squib”.

      And that is it. That is all that we have to do to teach a newbie how to own and use a firearm responsibly.

      • I agree with you 100%. I’ve taught many friends and younger relatives gun safety (and how to shoot and in that order, too).

      • @uncommon,

        Well said. That’s exactly how I’ve always started live fire training with newbies…one cartridge in the chamber. Then one in the pipe plus one in the mag. And then a full mag.

        Remember the story from a few years ago in which a range officer was accidentally killed when he handed an excited 12-yr-old girl a full auto Uzi, and the muzzle lifted up and over her shoulder, coming back to shoot him in the head? I once fired a full auto Uzi, and even I – as a lifelong experience shooter – had a difficult time keeping it on target. The instructor should have put only three rounds in the first mag to allow the girl to acclimate herself to feel of the bolt moving.

        • He was a terrible firearms instructor for children. Maybe he was ok for adult. Instruction. But teaching children about guns is not the same when teaching adults about guns.
          And because that Firearms instructor didn’t understand the difference it cost him his life.

    • You know you’ll be flamed for being a sycophant.

      Glad you dont get to make the rules out of your mother’s basement.

      Denying rights because of what someone “might” do is the leftist, statist battle cry.

      Cant have all people having access to dangerous information. So let’s ban internet access to anyone without government clearance.

      Suck it up comrade, liberty is dangerous. Lock the basement door and cuddle up with your mother.

      • Seems to me that if the left is so afraid of guns that they would handle them accordingly. I have never handled or even seen dynamite, but certainly know better than to play with it.

        I think the best idea when reading comments is “do you get the message” and being critical of grammatical errors is just not important and at best is off subject. No, I am not against proper grammar or correct spelling.

    • “But guns are dangerous – they are designed to kill.”

      Guns are a tool designed to expel a projectile. Period.

      It is the user of the tool who decides which target they wish to expel a projectile towards. Period. End.

      Most tools are dangerous.

    • You are very ignorant. This sheriff is a PRO-SANCTUARY CITY dirtbag. Furthermore, he is releasing prisoners to the streets because of the coronavirus hysteria. His goons will not arrest non-violent criminals because of the coronavirus. Anyone who agrees with this dumbass is a dumbass.

    • The gun shops need a sign saying:

      “Need to know how to operate the gun?

      R T F M !

      or look it up online.”

  14. Yes this is good. But did he hold a press conference to proclaim his reversal? Didn’t think so!

  15. If the sheriff was so concerned about the safety of people he should have requested that gun stores temporarily change to by appointment only. Potential buyers would either call or email with their phone and email so that the store can limit the number of people both inside and outside. The photo’s I’ve seen have shown people who are way too close together. The gun store could then set up airsoft ranges where new gun owners could get at least a minimum of safety training.

    • The ironic thing is by going to buy a gun, the people are showing they are concerned about the coronavirus and it’s potential impact on society. But yet they are not taking the safety precautions, such as social distancing, to help prevent them getting sick or spreading it to their own loved ones.

      • I found that ironic too. As for me I have been indoors for 2 weeks and want no part in getting the virus at my age of 77 or the possibility of giving it to others.

    • That made me think of a question for the Sheriff: “Does his office offer free, hands on gun safety and gun shooting classes?” If his concern is genuine, then I think he should.
      Also, one could argue it would be a crime deterrent, something the Sheriff should support. More trained, armed citizens makes life more dangerous for criminals.

      • If the Sheriff gave a damn about “gun safety” he would have a sandbag back stop against the nearest open wall near the gun store/s. With vols/cops instructing the basics of gun safety (15-30min) then issuing a CCW permit.

        And you got you ass handed to you as not respecting the 2nd. Recognize it and give up.

  16. “You can’t shoot a virus. But if we ever get to the point of a foreign invasion or zombie apocalypse, I’ll make sure they are open.” — Los Angeles County Sheriff Villanueva

    While incredibly unlikely, a foreign invasion could come at our greatest moment of weakness from this virus. For all we know, Russia or China engineered this virus to weaken us significantly before intending to invade. If Los Angeles County waits until the onset of the invasion, it will be too late.

    What is far, FAR more likely is local riff raff deciding to take advantage of perceived opportunities that result from this virus — or deciding to attack fellow humans out of desperation if their food or water supplies evaporate. Once again, just like the unlikely foreign invasion scenario that I mentioned above, waiting until riff raff starts attacking people before opening gun stores is too late.

    • “If Los Angeles County waits until the onset of the invasion, it will be too late.”

      Exactly on both accounts. I’m sure China, et al are studying the effects this virus is having on our country. Imagine a much more deadly virus, and China closing their borders in preparation for war. They have already infiltrated our government, labs, and education system. They already have our media and celebrities pushing their propaganda. They could easily spread something in our country to soften us up before an attack.

    • LA = Cannon fodder anyway. I do not feel sorry for those dip s***** they voted him in now reap what you sow

      • I’m one of those dipsh**s, and I can tell you right now not only did I not vote for Villanueva (I voted to re-elect McDonnell), but I don’t know anyone who stated they did. Villanueva barely beat McDonnell, and the votes are still suspect to this day due to CA’s recent “ballot harvesting” fraud that suddenly flipped several regions and offices right after Election Day.

    • Red Dawn was a MOVIE. The chicoms (and ruskies) have no ability to invade the US.

      But they could well take other actions during our period of vulnerability. Chief among these would be an HEMP attack. Cheap, easy, very hard to identify the source with a HUGE payback.

      The chicoms HAVE to understand there is going to be hell to pay down the road for them turning the chicom flu loose on the world. “Made in China” should become the kiss of death for any product. The SOBs should be made to pay for this (they should be begging for a 2021 version of the Treaty of Versailles).

    • Villanueva barely won over incumbent McDonnell, and the votes are still suspect due to CA’s recent “ballot harvesting” fraud that suddenly flipped several regions and offices right after Election Day.

  19. Gov. Prickster (Illinois) did the same thing by closing all firearms stores. Then reopened them after pressure. Although FOID card applications and renewals have been curtailed for the near future. In Iowa. State law strictly forbids this type action even in times of
    Emergency or Natural Disasters. Under 29C.25 of Iowa code.

    • Good to see IA has gotten something right. Although you’d think the Bill of Rights supercedes a state law anyway.

  20. I know in LA county they don’t like the Pot Shops. But it’s legal to smoke dope in Cali now. But that was in exchange for your gun civil rights. The legalization crowd have never supported civil rights. And they were very open about it. It’s just that the vast majority of potheads never cared about civil rights. And they don’t pay attention. They are very easily distracted by their marijuana intoxication.
    And politicians know it and can very easily take advantage of them.

  21. I am pro-gun, agree that keeping gun stores open is good; But I also don’t like the idea of a lot of first time gun owners being let loose with little or no training. Some may seek training, but maybe most are going to put the gun in a drawer and potentially be a threat to the first “bad man” they come across.
    Buy a gun and participate in mandatory training/proof of proficiency or lose the gun?

    • Asinine. In this country, you dont get to decide who is “worthy” to buy and keep a gun, unless they use it for a crime.

      I could easily say – I did not see “you” train so i am uncomfortable with you having a gun – so you dont get to keep yours.

      It’s not rocket science – it is familiarity with a firearm. Know the rules and follow them. I’ve seen plenty of cops and former soldiers handle firearms in an unsafe manner when shooting.

      Safety is a decision, not a condition.

      • Personally, if I were a potential burglar, I’d be thinking twice right now in light of everyone arming up, including all the newbies who might allegedly be a bit quick on the trigger.

        In a backwards sort of way, this is a good thing, in order to “keep the peace”.

        • Hmmm. A feature not a bug.

          The goal is to cut down on bad people doing things to innocent people……not just “trained” people.

    • I am seriously uncomfortable with all of the ignorant fools that get to vote. Why not implement an educational system where you must first pass a test. Then you will get a special voter license. We need to do the same thing for people that want to express their personal opinions.

      • Every time I vote. I wear a shirt that says: Never underestimate “Stupid People” in large groups. I get looks from consternation, to laughs, to serious invoking thought. Voting is the most Freedom invoking practice. We have as a society and at the same time the most dangerous. To that very Freedom.
        Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…’

        Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947

        • …except that we do not – and have never – operated as a democracy. We’re a democratic republic. The Northwest Ordinance outlined the requirements for territories wishing to cede to the Union, and one of them was the establishment of a republican (the system, not the Party) state government.

          I know most of us already know this, but every time anyone – even so-called conservatives on national media such as Sean Hannity – says we’re a democracy, I feel the need to offer a correction.

          BTW, it really chaps my hide when I hear the conservative MSM constantly spouting that the Federal Gov’t consists of “three equal branches”.

        • “If we work our butts off to make sure that we take back all three chambers of Congress — uh, rather, all three chambers of government: the presidency, the Senate, and the House,” Ocasio-Cortez

    • WHO ARE YOU to determine who should be able to purchase a firearm? The Second amendment is absolute…period.

      • “Second amendment is absolute…period.”

        Really, with no exceptions?

        Not even for felons?

        Not even for the mentally disturbed?

        Not even for people in jails and prisons?

        • I would think that you are intelligent enough to know the he means that the 2a is absolutely for everyone, who is legal to and able to utilize the right that WE are given. Obviously not those who are somehow diminished in their abilities to think or act rationally, let alone those who’ve been less than good citizens and are therefore NOT allowed to have, posses, own or use a firearm. C’mon man, stay with us.😜

          • “I would think that you are intelligent enough to know the he means that the 2a is absolutely for everyone, who is legal to and able to utilize the right that WE are given.”

            Indeed. The point of my comment is that words matter, and when we use words recklessly, we are following the same track as the anti-gun mob. “Absolute” can have no exceptions, period, not any. Any exception renders “absolute” a silly statement.

            You see, the idea that somehow the natural and human right to self-defense is somehow restricted to “…everyone, who is legal to and able to utilize the right…” admits that the natural law is, despite our words, restricted by government. It is an important concept, and we should not ignore it. Within the natural and human right to self-defense, there is no exemption for aggressors to be denied defense of themselves even when they invade the natural right to life of another person.

            Our statements too often show that we think and respond on a superficial level. A level that is not supportive of our public credibility. For people who own guns, “absolute” is not an acceptable idea. for POTG (committed 2A supporters) stating the obvious does not advance the narrative where it is needed.

            Our human rights are too important. Let’s not stain it with simplistic and bombastic sloganeering among ourselves.

        • “Obviously not those who are somehow diminished in their abilities to think or act rationally,…”

          And who makes that decision if someone is, or *isn’t* diminished enough? A panel of ‘experts’?

          Sounds like a judgement call, instead of some yes/no criteria…

        • Geoff, that’s a good question. I wasn’t going that deep, or trying to split hairs. My opinion is is if you are of sound mind and not a criminal…good to go. If you need to dwell deeper, I’m not the guy to argue with.

  22. “You can’t shoot a virus,” Villanueva told NBC News. “But if we ever get… zombie apocalypse,”

    WTF does this moron think a zombie apocalypse is?

    • Zombie apocalypse?
      Dozens of “woke” liberals gathering at a rally for Joe Biden. Wait, does he organize such things, now that he has discovered that internet thing…

    • He means he will give you free access to gun stores IF the dead actually come back to life and start eating the living……….till then, not so much

  24. The main issue here, imo, politicians and some Sheriffs (also elected) are spending their time playing politics, trying to throw the opponents under the bus with the current crisis, while they should all agree to stop the stupidity for a while and work for the better of their respective jurisdictions and agencies. The icing on the cake being the liberals in Congress refusing to sign certain bills designed to help with the impact of covid19, instead trying to push their completely unrelated, non-urgent issues. In short, while there are a lot of GOP scumbags, the DNC as a whole has spent the last 4 years whining about an alleged Russian collusion, whining about anything Trump related, wastes everybody’s time with their pathetic attempt of impeachment, and send “experts” such as Ocasio Cortez to explain that whites cause more “climate change” than minorities (I am not joking, Mark Dice posted a video and it’s insane).

  25. “He says it’s 95% first time buyers who don’t know about CA’s 10 day wait and want gun ASAP. ”

    People in hell want ice water, the result of voting apathy,not voting or voting Leftard,after all it is Commiefornia.

    • Yepper! I wonder how many brave citizens from back when this state was the beautiful place it was, are kicking and screaming in their graves because it was lost to the scoundrels running it today?

  28. If the sheriff was marginally concerned for the safety of the law abiding citizens he would not be releasing predators from jail and he would round up the street defacators

    • “If the sheriff was marginally concerned for the safety of the law abiding citizens he would not be releasing predators from jail…”

      And then arrest them again when the crisis is over.

      For any bureaucratic organism, job security is important. In that sense, a revolving prison door has a positive element.

  29. Typical libs want to change the rules only when they think it matters! We just want the rights as specified!🇺🇸❤️👍

  30. When you have politicians doing unconstitutional stuff based on what they do or don’t like, it’s time for more than just a protest. It’s time to show up, en masse and remove the tyrant.

    • “It’s time to show up, en masse and remove the tyrant.”

      Are you raising a company of volunteers? Thinking 150-200 shooters would do it? Got a unit designation and emblem? Signing bonuses?

      Yeah, I’m being snotty. The uprising ain’t gonna happen over a mutant cold virus.

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