California Assemblyman Miguel Santiago wants the state to close down gun stores indefinitely in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Democratic lawmaker, who represents the 53rd Assembly District, wrote a letter last week to Gov. Gavin Newsom urging him to “enact a statewide suspension of firearm and ammunition sales, with an exception for law enforcement and authorized peace officers.”
Santiago believes that the “panic-buying” of firearms during this crisis jeopardizes public safety.
“An increased population of firearms in our state not only poses a greater risk to children and families who are largely confined to their homes, but also to our communities facing racially motivated or otherwise targeted hate.”
Santiago also brought up the fact that there are approximately 22,424 prohibited persons who still have firearms in their possession, according to the California Department of Justice’s Prohibited Persons System.
Which doesn’t help his argument– at all. Because if it’s true that the state’s confiscation squads have yet to disarm over 20,000 bad guys wouldn’t it be best for all willing and responsible citizens to be prepared to defend themselves and their families?
SEE ALSO: Florida Inmate with Mile-Long Rap Sheet Accused of Murder After Being Released Due to COVID-19 Fears
Not to mention the fact that law enforcement is, across-the-board, scaling back on arrests and releasing inmates to slow the spread of COVID-19. In Los Angeles County alone, over 4,000 prisoners have been set free in recent weeks.
If ever there was a time that a citizen should think seriously about exercising his right to keep and bear arms, now is it! Even the L.A. County Sheriff is worried about a surge in crime!
LA County Sheriff tells me he has released 4,276 nonviolent inmates from county jail, which equates to 25% of the inmate population. He says it’s been effective in preventing spread of #COVID19, with only 11 inmates infected, but now fears a possible surge in crime. 10pm @FOXLA pic.twitter.com/kI7ID8gaG6
— Bill Melugin (@BillFOXLA) April 14, 2020
Yet, Santiago disagrees as he believes the focus should be solely on social distancing, shelter-in-place restrictions and mandatory face covering — all of which are advisable at a time like this but none of which will stop a violent home invader.
“By suspending firearm and ammunition sales and arming Californians with strong safeguards on public health and safety reinforced by state peace officers, we can mitigate undue risks to our public,” wrote Santiago.
Alan Gottlieb, the founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, responded to the Assemblyman’s letter in an email to GunsAmerica.
“His [Santiago’s] letter to the governor has nothing to do with containing the spread of the virus and everything to do with preventing people from buying guns and ammunition,” observed Gottlieb.
“He cares more about his gun prohibition agenda than saving lives from the CORONA virus or from criminals preying on unarmed victims,” he added.
Read Santiago’s letter below and tell us what you think of it:
It’s long past due for a house cleaning in this country. Too many liberals, communists, socialists, traitors in office. They need to be hung or driven out of this country to a third world country with no funds and no chance of ever returning. Their assets need to be seized and their families need to go with them.
First off, which one of you in the picture is Miguel. Secondly, if you really need something to do, you have identified 22,424 people that shouldn’t have guns. Let’s run the numbers. If you can clear up two per day, that’s 10-per week. 22,424/10= 2,243-weeks / 52-weeks per year = 43.12-years.
There you go. This mission allows you the rest of your miserable life to find these 22,424 individuals and leave the rest of us law abiding citizens alone. Now get busy and quit yacking nonsense.
Amen
Only an idiot would spell out the very reason people have to be able to protect themselves and their families.
if law enforcement is doing such a great job why are there 20,000 illegal guns out there?
The response of some LE makes me glad I retired from the profession. I thank God there are still men and women who want to do the job and I pray they are doing it for the right reasons and for their safety.
What does the sale of guns have to do with Covid-19? If gun and ammo sales have gone up it is simply because people want to be safe in their homes, not to run down to the local Wal-mart and take all the toilet from the shelves at This is simply a gun-hating uber-liberal that is trying to use a crisis to ban firearms and ammo.
I think I would be safe in saying that the majority of the socialist ” law makers” that are trying to rid us of our guns, have their own weapons or security guards. If you take away our right to protect ourselves, how many more police officers are they going to hire to protect the residents of a 100k person community. Somebody will have to be Johnny on the spot at all times since only the criminals will have guns. Something to think about.
The problem is the liberal politicians who are elected by people who live in a specific are, a lot of people in a specific area. If you search for vote by county in places like CA, IL and NY, it is glaringly obvious, that if you don’t live in the larger metroplexes, you vote does not count, because those highly packed, give me more off the public dole voting blocks, elect their Governors, Senators, and President, while the rest don’t CA, IL, and NY have a surprising number of ‘red’ counties, but they have no chance when all of their populations added together, don’t even come close to the mother city of each state. Red county citizens have no representation in the federal; government except via their H or R member, which is why Gerrymandering is such a powerful tool. A democrat will realign lines to maximize the liberal vote, the Republican will rearrange lines to capture an equal disposition of voters, but the only time it becomes an issue is when democrats are not in charge. We may be moving to a day when large metroplexes have to be somehow removed from the massive voting block they represent, maybe make them like DC with their own separate politician, while the rest of each state has a chance to elect folks to represent them without the influence of the crime ridden, drug infested, poverty driven voting block who’s only real interest is to elect someone who will give them more free stuff without having to work, pay, or sacrifice their addiction. Term limits will not solve the problem it will actually make it worse. Term limits are inherent in the Constitution, if the media would accurately report on politicians, all politicians, without favoring any party, so the voters would see their goodness, and their corruption, but that will happen when you can get a sweet ice tea in hell.
With “ballot harvesting,” other voter fraud, illegal immigrants voting and people who care more about free stuff rather than freedom California is a lost cause in my opinion. I left over fifteen years ago and now vote for liberty and the Constitution in my new State.
People of California, please stay in your State and do not leave if you want to vote Democrat.
Hey Liberty. I live in California and I couldn’t agree more with you. I’m getting the hell out of here asap and moving to the United States of America. For the good of the country they need to wall off California. These idiots are deranged and will end up infecting other states with the rot that has destroyed it. Nevada and Colorado used to be reliably red but sadly have become blue due to the infection or influx of Californians. Watch for Arizona and Montana as they are next to go . While I do not aspire to see it, maybe its another civil war that is needed to settle everything. I say this because we need to be able to move on as a people. We have our bloc which is tried and true, patriotic and steped in true tradition which is American. Then you have the progressives who are divisive angry and toxic. Their agenda has done its share of damage. Those of you who read this and doubt what I write, take a look not just at my soon to be ex state
Look at New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Washington, Massachusetts and Hawaii. These are places which are higher in taxes, have no regard for the 2nd ammendment, their infrastructure is crumbling and more are surpassing the poverty line. I realize this sounds bad. Again I do not advocate for violence in any way. We as a people have become too divisive. The Democratic party and the MSM has come to show their true colors
True agenda thugs
One need read no further than the first sentence of the second paragraph of Mr. Santiago’s letter to know what will follow is simply fear mongering.
“COVID 19 has incited a wave of panic across the nation.”
Where is this panic? The riots, the civil unrest, people turning on their neighbors, the uncontrollable fear and wildly unthinking behavior? Those things are the hallmarks of panic and none of that is happening.
These Oath Breaking Career criminals have endangered the American public.
It’s called Brainwashing through power of suggestion, along with reinterpretations of words and terms, something that has been used historically across time.
Anti-constitutionalist’s sense of morality is situational, based on incident and emotion, instead of rooted in God’s word and law.
Anti-constitutionalist’s stand for nothing. The situation determines their support for an issue and their emotions rule, not reason and rationality.
Moreover, they recognize the contradiction, but still cling to their situational justice. Situational justice is the tool of dictators, tyrants, despots, and unjust, unrighteous monarchs. It has no place in a Free Constitutional Republic. In which the United States of America is……………….
For we are a Republic, not a democracy as many would like us to believe.
Anti-Constitutionalist’s=Anti-Americans=Enemies of the United States…
The problems facing pro gunners rimes with the word news.
Crawl back under whatever flat rock you came from.
Santiago has no business being in office , you are paid by the people to work for the constitution and bill of rights. you are a criminal for not complying with our Laws. you should be fired and arrested for treason. We the people deserve a hell of a lot more respect from people like you!
I demand that this Mexican traitor be jailed and brought up on charges for attempting to violate American citizens Constitutional rights.
Really Brian? It’s racist boneheads like you that cause many people to shun anything conservative. And BTW, nobody gives a flying f*ck what you demand!
Hey asshole! You took an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States of America. Maybe you should become familiar with it. We should be able to remove any representative we elect who violates their oath of office immediately.
“…approximately 22,424 prohibited persons who still have firearms in their possession,” – Assemblyman Santiago
Sounds like you’re missing the target there Santiago…leave the law abiding alone and start with these 22,424 felons with firearms. Insane liberal logic on display with this gubmint dude.
Quote: “…but also to our communities facing racially motivated or otherwise targeted hate.” So Mr. Santiago is afraid that the persecuted Christians will quit turning the other cheek? Please no comments about how there is no persecution of Christians in this country. Bakers, florists, photographers have all been sued because of their religious beliefs. Governors have banned church services with the police giving out $500 tickets to people attending drive in church where they never got out of their cars and had the windows up. County in California has now banned any singing/music in church services being streamed. It is as if the First Amendment didn’t even exist.
It is basically against the law to defend yourself in the Peoples’ Republic of Kalifornia if the cops or district attorney thinks you should have run away. If you defend yourself with a firearm, you must prove you had a right to be there, legally possessed the firearm at that time and place, that you had a reasonable fear of imminent death or grave bodily injury, and that you had no opportunity to retreat (even if you are attacked in your own home or business). Try checking off all of those boxes under the stress of a deadly attack, if you are lucky enough to have a firearm when that happens.
I’m glad I live in Ohio
Mr. Santiago, show me where the Bill of Rights places “public safety” over individual rights. Go ahead…
Unfortunately the insanity to the north and south of Oregon has finally found us Oregonians and Kate Brown has committed the state of Oregon to the progressive utopian race to see who can out libtard eachother for the leader of the west. Welcome to the liberal version of the wild wild west!! Vote for America 2020 #MAGA
Apparently, Mr. Santiago believes “More guns equals more crime.” But over the last few decades, the number of firearms in private hands has increased by millions, while at the same time violent crime has plummeted. So while it’s true that falling crimes rates during a time of increased gun ownership do not prove that “more guns equals less crime” (correlation does not equal causation), it does DISPROVE the statement “more guns equals more crime.” Mr. Santiago’s implication that “more guns equals more crime” does not compute.
I’m not concerned about the virus, as I’m more concerned about these idiots, making up these “knee-jerk” laws…keep your head on a swivel. Don’t let your guard down, now that all of these felons have been released.
I think the left is conducting population control. I have thought in the past that the Democrats were all about having more people and voting Democrat. I think that is no longer the case now; I now see that upper echelon Dems are moving to policies that hinder or take away life. Open Borders: allowing all immigrants into the U.S., regardless of committing crime or having sickness disease. Gun Control; release of inmates; police not enforcing lower crimes; police-no duty to protect, unless in custody. Allowing abortions all the way past the third trimester and up to birth. No reporting: DUI’s, high-crime areas, high human/sex-trafficking areas, grim-truths that led people to their deaths, high-form of censorship. Legalization of marijuana is no different than having fluoride in the water; To make a population more passive, agreeable/amenable to government policies.
I also see that these things are happening in overpopulated cities where the cost of land has skyrocketed. Creating policies where the lower and lower-middle class move or leave and then buy up all their land, either for themselves or for profit. It is kind of like an old western; where a rich city slicker moves into town and buys-off the local ruffian and hires them to wreak havoc on the streets; only to buy up the businesses and/or extol protection money. I think that Socialist/Communist views aren’t just views anymore; I think they are already being implemented and that people need to be, “Woke.”
A good study is South Africa. 1st world infrastructure, dismantled by socialists. Armed camps to protect ‘gated’ communities. True Haves and HaveNots. Skin color matters not, power, thats all.
Bringing Banana Republic politics to the U.S. Check this traitor’s bank account or future political funding.
California was paradise once, the best times on a horse I’ve ever known. It was all outdoors, great lands and good water. It’s as bad as India now with crowds and filth, but Hell’s Tits, what a place it once was.
I will not go anywhere I can’t carry a weapon or keep one loaded and ready in the truck. Down from Oregon, I went to SF-Dunhill’s to buy my cigars about 30 years ago and saw all the bums on the street, and their filth.
I gave up on the whole state and everybody left behind. No place for stove-up old men.
Is Mr Santiago willing to take in some of those released inmates? You know, to keep them in line so the rest of his constituents don’t need to be armed?🤔
Such a beautiful state Ruined by Liberals
I know i no longer have any desire to visit California because the socialist Democrat takeover have destroyed its beauty. Nothing but a garbage pit of humanity!
Looks like he’s taken Bloomberg bribes and has drank his Kool-Aid.
The Career Politicians on the far left have been and still destroying the State of California. To much political power and hopeless stupid population that don’t even know WTF is going on. The Welfare State of dummies!!