Hollywood Elite Enjoy Security While They Want You Disarmed

Sunday night, Hollywood played host to the Golden Globes, one of the biggest entertainment events of the year. Celebrities wore expensive gowns, millions of dollars worth of jewelry, and hobnobbed with one another, all eager to see and be seen.

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They also got to enjoy this under a blanket of security provided by a lot of men with guns, security that was ramped up following the New Year’s Eve knife attack in Manchester.

In the wake of last month’s gunman attack at a Christmas market in Strasbourg, France and the New Year’s Eve knifing rampage that left three injured in Manchester, UK, Hollywood is on high alert as the 76th Hollywood Foreign Press Association shindig gets underway this evening at the Beverly Hilton.

“The recent attacks in Europe only reinforce that nothing can be left to chance tactically and strategically,” a highly placed local law enforcement official informed Deadline. “Our plan is to have eyes everywhere and shut down any possible disturbance that could arise long before it gets anywhere near the venue or the event,” he added of the road closures, armed officers, sniffing dogs and other barriers on the red carpet and around the perimeter of the Beverly Hilton on Sunday.

Nominees, attendees and media showing up this afternoon will have to go through a labyrinth of security checkpoints to get to the ballroom, as well as many of the parties later tonight. In addition, the Beverly Hills police, who are the lead department on Globes security, and supporting regional and federal law enforcement such as the L.A. County Sheriff’s department are out in force on the roads and with bomb squad trucks and other heavy reinforcements.

Officially, as has become the norm in the increasing security conscious Tinseltown and events like the Globes, Emmys, Oscars and Grammys, the BHPD aren’t revealing any security details, except to say like over the past 40 years, they got this.

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The same people who can afford private security and to live in gated communities then go and have millions of dollars worth of security provided at taxpayers’ expense, all while advocating that you be completely disarmed.

Look, I try to give the benefit of the doubt to people about their motivations. I’ve found that when you talk to some of these folks, their rationale for their positions aren’t as nefarious as you might think.

I don’t always succeed, but I do try.

I bring this up because the more I watch these celebrities call for gun control while living under the protection of people with guns, the more I’ve come to understand one simple fact: they believe they’re more deserving of protection than you or me.

True, celebrities are far more likely to become the object of a stalker’s attention. True, the families of celebrities and the wealthy are more likely to be targeted for kidnap for ransom.

But that doesn’t mean these problems don’t impact regular citizens.

The difference is, we don’t have the resources to outsource our protection.

Celebrities tend to live in such a bubble that they don’t think or care about any of that. They want to limit guns for the ordinary person because ordinary people do horrible things. That’s their mindset.

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Because of that, they think they’re somehow more worthy, more deserving of protection.

They’re not. I don’t begrudge them, their wealth or their ability to hire security. Believe me, as much as I love guns and shooting, I’d hire private security too if I could.

I do begrudge them, however, for being hypocrites. If guns are bad, start by disarming your private security. At least then I’ll believe you’re serious.

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