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Who's Packing Heat In L.A. County? Sheriff Lee Baca's Gun Permit List Includes Many Personal Friends

Categories: Crime
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Sheriff Lee Baca
In this week's print edition, the L.A. Weekly takes a look at Sheriff Lee Baca's habit of issuing concealed weapons permits to personal friends and benefactors.

Baca is known in gun rights circles for being stingy with concealed weapons permits. As of last year, only 341 people had them in L.A. County. 

We obtained the list of permit-holders from the Sheriff's Department via public records request. In this week's story, "Lee Baca's Gun-Gift Connection," we then compared it to the list of people who also gave gifts to Baca or contributed to his campaigns. Some attended his wedding, and one threw him a birthday party. 

The Sheriff's Department says there's no connection, but others are accusing Baca of old-fashioned cronyism.

We've posted the complete list of permit holders after the jump:

CCW Licensees LA County by

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19 comments
luckynumbercap
luckynumbercap

Wait. So, anyone in LA County, not on that list, who carries a gun outside of their home, is doing so illegally? Is that right? I admittedly know nothing about guns or gun laws. But that number seems absurdly low for a county so massively populated...

felix
felix

Bar-Kochba Botach is the owner of Botach Tactical, a supplier to police departments and the military.


Conflict of interest, anyone?  I wonder what kind of sweetheart deals are passing both ways.

markw
markw

I would like to congratulate the LA Weekly for publishing this list. Anyone who values their 1st Amendment American freedoms should be OK with this article. Well done!

Rabbi_Pedro_Goldstein
Rabbi_Pedro_Goldstein

Tomson Ong is a batshit crazy judge who has no business carrying a gun. Also did you notice how many Armenians and Jews have gun permits? Frightening.

Liisa Lee
Liisa Lee

Is there an UNshady part of his behavior?

90041eaglerock
90041eaglerock

There are many judges on that list from 9th Circuit's Alex Kozinski to Superior Court judges.  Other law enforcement and families appear here, too.

The questions I have is what views they each may have on the issues of 2nd amendment rights for other law-abiding citizens in this country.  As it stands. L.A. County residents do not have any realistic expectation of receiving a CCW permit unless they have some legal system connection or a political cnnection, sometimes one and the same.

What this list tells you is that not everyone is depending on the police being able to meet their safety needs outside their homes and places of employment. 

Christopher James
Christopher James

"The Right to keep AND BEAR arms shall not be infringed." We shouldn't have to ask permission.

P_Stauff
P_Stauff

What crass disregard for life.  I cannot believe you published this list.  Your paper is less than worthless, a drag on our community. a value subtracted corporation.

angry_reporter
angry_reporter

I had heard before that Judge Elden Fox had a permit and carried a gun. I believe that judges and DAs are allowed to get a permit as a matter of course, but I may be wrong. I'm more interested that Supervisor Mike Antonovich is apparently packing heat, as are Supervisor Don Knabe's son Matthew, and famed Hollywood producer Richard Donner (assuming it's the same one).

Robert Elder
Robert Elder

Permits for the rich, none for the normal citizen. Shall issue ccw laws lower violent crime rates.

Erik R. Winston
Erik R. Winston like.author.displayName 1 Like

Cronyism, nepotism, sanctioned deputy thuggery extending all the way up to senior leadership,little civilian oversight, and regular abuse & illegal extended detention of inmates. The Ton Ton Macoute, SAVAK, Iraqi Secret Police??? No good old LASD. What an embarrassing and dangerous organization this continues to be under the "enlightened" Baca! Reform now!

Ryan Smith
Ryan Smith

Yet again, further proof not to trust government.

Davp Peraza
Davp Peraza

this guy should just fking RESIGN, hes a THUG, with his gang the JUMP OUT BOYS

TruthTeller
TruthTeller like.author.displayName 1 Like

Googling 4 random names from this list, 3 of them are Los Angeles County judges. 

What are the ethical issues of a judge accepting a VERY exclusive perk, a nearly unobtainable permit,  from the head of an organization that routinely is involved in matters before the court?????

This appears to be CORRUPT.  

Rabbi_Pedro_Goldstein
Rabbi_Pedro_Goldstein

@TruthTeller - Yep, a judge with a CCW doesn't dare call out perjury being committed by deputies lest the "Honorable" Baca revokes their precious CCW  

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