Authorities buy firearms in Wilmington

Once again, dozens of weapons are added to the roughly 18,000 that Los Angeles County residents have handed over to authorities to be destroyed and melted down for scrap metal since 2009.

From 8:00 am to 1:00 pm on Saturday, Wilmington residents drove in front of the Chamber of Commerce parking lot. There they stopped, and Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) detectives removed weapons from the trunk of their cars.

“In the 15th district, and especially in Wilmington – in the harbor area – we have a lot of gun crime,” Councilman Tim McOsker said.

“A week ago, we ended a two-year operation between the LAPD and the ATF, conducted a thorough investigation and seized 82 weapons that were associated with gangs, and [confiscamos] a lot of drugs.”

The work on the voluntary redemption of weapons was carried out without question from anyone. Citizens were rewarded with gift cards: $100 for each pistol, shotgun, and rifle, and up to $200 for assault weapons.

“This program is very effective at getting guns off the streets and out of the wrong hands,” Detective Pat Hoffman of the LAPD’s Gang and Narcotics Division (GND) told La Opinión.

Since 2009, the deployment of the Gang and Narcotics Unit has meant a change in law enforcement strategy. GND is one component of the LAPD’s “total solution” to the gang and drug problem in the city of Los Angeles.

According to Police Chief Michel Moore, 700 assault weapons have been handed over to the LAPD over the past 12 years as part of this program for destruction.

And while guns will no longer be usable and will be dismantled, not everyone believes that buying guns is the ideal solution to reduce crime.

“The good thing is that they are buying guns that people have at home,” Carson resident Carl Hancock, who oversaw the arms ransom, told the newspaper.

“The most important issue is that ordinary citizens turn in weapons, but I did not see a single gang member turning in rifles or large-caliber weapons.”

There is still no answer to the question of whether any of the weapons turned in by the people were used to commit a crime or likely murder in the past.

Federal Laws Relevant

Both LAPD Chief Inspector Janice Hahn and Mayor Karen Bass agree that federal legislation is needed to ban assault weapons and reduce mass shootings.

“It’s unfortunate, but because of the National Rifle Association, it’s very difficult to get any gun legislation passed,” the mayor said.

“Unfortunately, now that the Republicans are leading the House of Representatives, they actually want to increase the availability and affordability of guns, including the ability to bear arms for members of Congress. So I think we should look at the state of California, the county and the city, working together to do as much as we can because we know and support gun control.”

Moore agreed with the official on the need for federal legislation to ban assault weapons.

“When you have 50 states and most of them allow the sale of assault weapons, they allow people to have them easily and without any questions,” the police chief explained.

The problem, he stressed, is that thousands of these assault weapons end up being smuggled into California.

The Los Angeles Police Chief said that when you look at gun crime in the United States, as opposed to states with laxer gun laws, there are 50-60% more gun deaths in California.

“So the thing is, when you know they’re being sold and bartered [armas] in other parts of the country we need a federal ban to stop [el tráfico de armas de estado a estado] and it will make Los Angeles safer,” Moore said.

Supervisor Khan told La Opinión that “Congress has failed the American people when it comes to protecting us from gun violence.”

“The fact is that the ban on assault weapons expired in 2004 and it was not renewed,” he said. “And we know that Senator Dianne Feinstein of California was the one who championed the assault weapons ban.”

“We know that when this ban was in place in this country, it was beneficial, and we know that there were fewer crimes with assault weapons, not as many of these weapons as today. They have no place on the streets. It is a weapon of war.”

Similarly, he recalled that someone who had mistakenly held a weapon had taken the life of his friend, Catholic Bishop David O’Connell, at his home in Hacienda Heights.

“He was killed without any respect for life,” he recalled. “Look also at what happened in Monterey Park when people were killed and New Lunar was celebrated.”

They don’t restore ghost weapons

However, in this case, no ghost weapons were found, which is an elusive threat of crime and shootings taking place on the streets of the city and county of Los Angeles.

In 2022, Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives Specialist Strike Teams targeting arms dealers seized more than 7,700 weapons and silencers linked to last year’s crimes in Chicago, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., New York and San Francisco.

As if that wasn’t enough, Transportation Security Administration (ATS) agents seized more than 6,542 firearms from passengers at airports in 2022, the highest since the agency’s inception. Of the weapons stolen at the airport checkpoint, 88% were loaded.

In December 2022, the agency announced that it would increase the maximum civil penalty for a gun offense from $13,910 to $14,950.

Decree

In November of that year, the City of Los Angeles passed an ordinance prohibiting the possession, purchase, sale, receipt, or transportation of the body or receiver of a firearm without a serial number, or a firearm without a serial number.

These types of weapons are almost impossible to trace because they can be easily assembled by unlicensed buyers from kits purchased legally online.

In fact, parts are inexpensive when unassembled, and there are no federal laws requiring them to have a serial number or a criminal record check upon purchase.

shooting

5 injured in Los Angeles beach shooting

Five people were injured in a shooting that took place Saturday afternoon on a beach in San Pedro, Los Angeles.an incident for which the police are looking for a suspect.

In accordance with Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)the shots were reported at around 5:45 p.m. at Royal Palms Beach, near Paseo del Mar and Graceby Avenue.

The authorities stated that subject came into conflict with a group of people on San Pedro Beach, and at some point a shooting occurred.

In early reports, the LAPD said they were looking for two suspects believed to be involved in the incident, but Authorities later said that only one suspect was wanted in this shooting..

According to a post posted on Saturday evening, the victim was taken to the hospital in critical condition, while the other four were in stable condition..

Initially, the LAPD had indications that only four adults were injured as a result of the gunfire, but it was later reported that a minor was the fifth victim, as he was also injured in the gunfire..

According to police, the suspect fled the scene of the shooting in a silver sedan.

The four victims, who are said to be in stable condition, were taken to hospital by paramedics from the Los Angeles Fire Department. while the victim, reportedly in critical condition, was handed over by a private individual, authorities said..

“It is tragic irony that today we are holding a gun buyback event just a few miles from this place. Gun violence is wreaking havoc in our community,” said LA County Supervisor Janice Hahn; and Los Angeles City Council member Tim McOsker in a joint statement.

It was reported that Royal Palms Beach will be closed this Sunday..

Officials are considering changing opening hours to close the beach earlier on weekends to make the area safer for visitors. / Ricardo Roura