Progressive prosecutor demonstrates why no one trusts more gun control

District Attorney George Gascón is putting a "woke" soft-on-crime agenda ahead of community safety.

Let the gun control zealots defend this. Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascón had to be shamed into doing his job to protect his community from a would-be school murderer.

DA Gascón refused to bring charges against a teen who allegedly posted threats against a school on social media and was allegedly caught carrying stolen guns. His team of lawyers claimed there wasn’t enough information of the criminal threat.

The teen suspect was caught allegedly carrying two stolen pistols, body armor, magazines that are banned in California and ammunition when police arrested him, but the social media company had not yet turned over information requested by detectives. DA Gascón’s team rejected the case. That was until Bell Gardens, Calf., Police Chief Scott Fairfield demanded the case be reviewed for criminal charges.

“George Gascón refuses to prosecute juveniles in possession of firearms,” said Deputy District Attorney Jonathan Hatami. Other prosecutors are saying the George Soros-backed district attorney has a policy of not bringing firearm-related charges to juveniles.

Save the condemnation

This is alarming to those in the firearm industry who have heard from gun control politicians that when their favorite gun control initiatives aren’t supported, they launch outlandish attacks against the firearm industry.

U.S. Sen. Chris Murphy told Salon that Republicans “don’t give a crap” about kids or criminal misuse of firearms. California Gov. Gavin Newsom said the Second Amendment is “becoming a suicide pact” after heinous murders in Monterey Park, Calif. The governor made a big show of his law, since struck down, of holding firearm manufacturers responsible for the crimes committed by others.

The governor, though, is silent on his own state’s district attorneys not holding criminals accountable.

Gov. Newsom endorsed DA Gascón for office when he ran in 2020, only to turn around in 2022 to say, “I don’t know enough about the job he’s done. I’m deeply concerned about the criticism.” That was while DA Gascón was facing a recall, the second one he ultimately survived.

DA Gascón’s talk-tough, act-on-nothing schtick was hardly a secret. DA Gascon has dutifully parroted all the gun control platitudes. When it comes to holding criminals accountable, he bails.

In 2021, DA Gascón defended a diversion program that allowed criminal offenders to still have access to firearms. The state law allowed for criminals to stay off the prohibited persons list from crimes that were downgraded from felonies to misdemeanors, which included hate crimes, carrying a loaded firearm with the intent of committing a felony, transporting a machine gun, possession of a deadly weapon with intent to assault and assault with a deadly weapon.

He was forced to walk back his “no bail” policies last year as crime rates in Los Angeles skyrocketed. He praised Gov. Newsom for signing more gun control legislation even as he released a murderer from prison after serving only six years of a 50-year sentence. That prisoner was re-arrested within a week of release on gun and DUI charges.

Two Los Angeles police officers were shot and killed by gang members in 2022 after being released on downgraded charges by DA Gascón’s office. Those felony Firearm charges would have kept them locked up. Because of DA Gascón’s policy of not pursuing gun-related charges, they walked out to murder police.

“How can George Gascón have the nerve to talk about needing new gun laws when he refuses to endorse the ones we already have?” said veteran prosecutor John Lewin according to the Washington Examiner. “If you want to deter criminals from using guns, punish them for doing so. This is why we have gun enhancements! The idea is that you want to increase the penalty so much for using a gun in a crime that the criminals decide to leave them at home.”

Say more ‘gun control’

It raises the serious question of how this man still has a job. His job is, after all, prosecuting criminals. Here’s why he’s still getting a paycheck funded by taxpayers: He says all the right things when it comes to gun control that California politicians want to hear. Never mind the criminals. DA Gascón is on board with punishing law-abiding citizens.

DA Gascón vocally supported the introduction of the Bipartisan Background Checks Act, legislation that would usher in universal background checks which are impossible without a national firearm registry. That, of course, is still against federal law. He also supported the Enhanced Background Checks Act, legislation that would have allowed delayed background checks to get caught in an endless delay-loop, essentially prohibiting gun purchases because they couldn’t be approved.

DA Gascón praised Gov. Newsom for signing more gun control bills into law last summer. He pressured credit card companies to bar the use of their cards for firearm component parts.

Just don’t ask him to use any of the laws already on the books. Before the teen with guns, body armor and social media school threat postings was finally charged, DA Gascón’s policies cost two people their lives. An adult and 16-year-old were shot and killed by another adult and youth. One suspect had been previously arrested on gun charges when he was a juvenile but DA Gascón’s office dismissed them. The policy – no gun charges for juveniles – is deadly.

Demanding more gun control and refusing to hold criminals to account isn’t a failed strategy. It’s criminal and the public is paying the price.

Republished with permission of NSSF.