Violent crime is at an all time high in the city of Los Angeles. With some reporting back over the summer noting there have been 179 homicides in the first six months of the year and another report putting out troubling numbers that only cover through April.

The LA County Sheriff’s Department reported 87 murders in its most recent public data release, which cut-off at the end of April, 2021. It reported 601 serious assaults with guns during that time, but it was unclear how many people were injured as a result.

With crime on the severe rise in the city of Los Angeles, it’s no wonder that citizens have taken to apply for concealed carry permits in order to take responsibility for their own self-defense. Prior to May 1, 2021, people living in the city of Los Angeles proper needed to apply for their permits directly through the Los Angeles Police Department through the Chief of Police. It was in that former time frame that Andy Ionescu, a resident of Los Angeles applied for a permit to carry.

I had an opportunity to chat with Ionescu, who has been increasingly worried about the rise in violent crime where he lives. In fact, he had privately sent me some photographs depicting his neighbor’s car, which was randomly targeted and smashed with concrete blocks and also an incredibly disturbing picture of what appears to be human fecal waste on the walkway leading up to the building he lives in.

The feces a homeless person left in the front of my home pic.twitter.com/0p2x6XtgYz

— Vallachian Rex – Infected with the F.U. variant (@VallachianR) September 26, 2021

Ionescu said the crime in the area is so bad that a local library is being used as a corral where the police babysit prostitutes and others involved in the criminal element, and tents line the sidewalks in Hollywood.

Affordable housing in Hollywood. Courtesy of the California Democratic Party and Mayor Eric Garcetti. pic.twitter.com/sk8izknHK5

— Vallachian Rex – Infected with the F.U. variant (@VallachianR) September 20, 2021

When Ionescu brought in all his paperwork to the Los Angeles Police department to be processed, he said that one of the clerks receiving it made a side bar comment to him:

You know what to do after you’re done here applying at the police station and hear back from us?

The clerk was insinuating to the fact that the Chief of Police Michel Moore essentially issues no licenses to carry to normal every day people and that Ionescu should then apply for a permit through the County Sheriff if denied. Again, prior to May 1st, it was allegedly the policy of the Los Angeles Sheriff that residents in the city must first apply for permitting through the city, then if denied apply through the county.

Low and behold a few weeks ago, Ionescu got exactly what we’d expect:

1/2 A couple of days ago this came in the mail from the LAPD. pic.twitter.com/aIySnZOmG3

— Vallachian Rex – Infected with the F.U. variant (@VallachianR) September 10, 2021

The two page denial letter notes that Ionescu failed to provide any “specific or credible threats” to his safety warranting the issuance of a permit to carry. This is not unique. In fact, perhaps this is not news. But what is important to note is that Los Angeles does have this incredible increase in violent crimes, with an interesting drop in property crimes, the police department won’t acknowledge there are any problems.

It’s probably a good time for Chief Michel Moore to concede defeat and start issuing permits. The policies in place are an abysmal failure and while it’s a large point of shattered pride here, the Chief should be allowing for the citizens to at least fend for themselves, obviously the department is not taking care of business.

So what about the County Sheriff? Ionescu when I last chatted with him indicated he’d be restarting the process and would apply through the Sheriff’s Department in Los Angeles. For those that are in Los Angeles County, there is something to this. Given the policy change, there is no longer a need to be first denied a permit through the freedom limiting Los Angeles Police Department, but now you can apply directly through the Sheriff’s office.

What’s unique about the Los Angeles Sheriff? Sheriff Alex Villanueva was elected in 2018 as the 33rd Sheriff of the county. Villanueva had defeated incumbent Jim McDonnell who proceeded former Sheriff Lee Baca (who is in federal prison, nothing to see here). Villanueva, a registered Democrat has been taking a different approach to the situation surrounding the matter of carry. Much like the San Diego County Sheriff, whom a number of years ago started to change views on the subject, Sheriff Villanueva does see the merits of issuing concealed carry permits.

In fact, Villanueva’s policies on permitting have become so streamlined, that he launched a small information campaign on the application process, and their online resources are excellent. Take a look at one of the videos promoting the program:

The Chief of Police of the City of Los Angeles should start taking some notes from Sheriff Villanueva. It’s clear a prohibitionist approach is not working to serve the public safety in the city.

As for Ionescu and his trek to get a concealed carry permit in the county of Los Angeles, I’ll be following up with him as he continues the process. Again, there is nothing spectacular here, just another citizen being denied their rights at the hands of control-freak bureaucratic governmental agencies. Hopefully Ionescu will find the relief he seeks through Sheriff Villanueva’s office which takes part in higher level thinking when it comes to the responsibly armed. What is unique about Ionescu though is perhaps his history, and what he has to say about the history of disarmament, polices that Chief Michel Moore probably finds favorable when dealing with us peasants.