According to Firearm Chronicles
Los Angeles County Sheriff Alex Villanueva has ordered all gun stores in the county to close, declaring that the retailers who’ve seen crowds of customers over the past week are not essential business and must shut down during the city’s shelter-in-place order.
Fox LA had an interview with the sheriff Tuesday morning, in which Villanueva claimed to be a supporter of the Second Amendment, but is so concerned about new gun owners having accidents with their firearms that he decided the stores must close. “We will be closing them, they are not an essential function,” Villanueva said. “I’m a supporter of the 2nd amendment, I’m a gun owner myself, but now you have the mixture of people that are not formerly gun owners and you have a lot more people at home and anytime you introduce a firearm in a home, from what I understand from CDC studies, it increases fourfold the chance that someone is gonna get shot.” With all due respect to the sheriff, he’s full of it. The Second Amendment protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms. It doesn’t protect the right of people who’ve owned guns their entire life, or the people who live by themselves. It’s a right of all the people, and Villanueva is denying that right to millions of residents who may have rationally and reasonably decided over the past few days to become a gun owner for the first time.
Reporter Bill Melugin with Fox LA reported Tuesday afternoon that Villanueva is so serious about shutting down the gun stores that he’s sending deputies out to each location to ensure compliance.