Los Angeles DA Gascon pushes gun control amid crime spike, backlash over releasing convicted murderer

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Los Angeles District Attorney George Gascon praised California Gov. Gavin Newsom’s push for more gun control as he faces criticism over releasing criminals who have gone on to commit violent crimes.

“Thank you, @cagovernor Newsom, for signing several important bills to protect Californians from #gunviolence including four bills supported by my office,” Gascon’s office tweeted Friday in response to Newsom signing four bills that Gascon says will ‘help limit the availability of firearms and take on the growing menace of unlicensed ghost guns.'”

The signed legislation, Assembly Bills 1842, 2156, 2239 and Senate Bill 915, address various gun control measures including limiting the number of guns a person can manufacture without a license, forbidding guns or gun parts from being sold on state property, forbidding those convicted of child or elder abuse from buying a gun for ten years, and barring gun sellers from charging certain fees if a buyer backs out before the end of the waiting period.

“Easy accessibility of firearms, precursor parts, and ammunition has compounded this nation’s gun violence crisis,” Gascon’s office tweeted. “These sensible measures will help stop this deadly #epidemic.”

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Newsom also signed a bill this week allowing private citizens to sue anyone who manufactures, sells, transports or distributes illegal “assault weapons and ghost guns.”

The majority of the responses to the tweet from Gascon’s office were negative with many social media users accusing him of failing to prosecute crime in Los Angeles.

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“Why don’t you try assisting crime victims by actually affectively [sic] prosecuting the cases where they have been victimized?” A Twitter user responded. “Your transparent pro-defendant policies are not fooling anyone! Do your d–n job for a change!”

“What a surprise, two officials that do not respect the rights of others or the constitution trying to criminalize law-abiding citizens while virtue signaling and fearmongering,” another user said.

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Gascon’s tweet comes at the same time he faces heated criticism over releasing a California murderer 6 years into a 50-year sentence who was re-arrested this week on gun and DUI charges after a car chase.

The controversial release of the convicted murderer is one of several examples of violent criminals being released in Los Angeles County which has sparked enough outrage to form an effort to recall Gasonthat organizers say has enough signatures to be on the ballot in November.

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Alisa Blair, a key deputy adviser to Gascon, announced this week she is leaving his office which makes her the second top aide to exit in the past couple months.

Violent crime in Los Angeles has increased 8.6% compared to the same time last year to go along with a 7.3% spike in homicides compared to last year.

In an interview last month, Gascon defended his record on crime saying he knows “how to keep communities safe.”

“We’re coming out of the pandemic that has had a tremendous impact not only on L.A. County but throughout the nation,” Gascon said. “The reality is that crime is up around the nation, in fact some of our neighboring counties per capita are having higher levels of violence than we are.”