George Gascón, the radical Los Angeles County district attorney, received his marching orders last week in a strong rebuke of his soft-on-crime policies, as he lost his bid to retain the office by more than half a million votes and over 20 percentage points.
The soon-to-be former district attorney’s foray into politics was supported by George Soros as he ran on a “restorative justice” model of reducing sentences, no-cash bail and a refusal to prosecute many criminals, which unsurprisingly paralleled a rise in violent crime.
As Los Angeles County district attorney, Gascón sent letters to American Express, Visa and Mastercard in 2022 urging them to ban use of their platforms for the online purchase of what the letters called “ghost gun kits.” As the NRA Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) reported, “The letters did not define this term in detail, but the effort is clearly aimed at products that allow consumers to make their own firearms for personal use, a practice that is lawful under federal law and dates back to the founding of the country.”
He would later come under scrutiny in March 2023 when he refused to issue charges against an aspiring murderer who allegedly posted threats against a school and was then busted with stolen firearms. A local police chief subsequently demanded that the case be reviewed, lamenting that Gascón declined to “prosecute juveniles in possession of firearms.”
The results of his policies were predictable, as homicides in Los Angeles spiked by nearly 12% in 2021, which was Gascón’s first year in office, from the year prior. These same figures were nearly 50% higher than the 2019 numbers.
Despite all of this, Gascón refused to take responsibility on his way out the door. “The rightward shift across America last night is heartbreaking. Democrats have a long road ahead, but the work is more vital than ever and our commitment will not waver,” said Gascón in a statement.
Gascón said this as if his years of setting violent criminals free—some of whom quickly murdered others, including police officers—while he backed the most-stringent gun-control restrictions on lawful gun owners did not have something to do with his ouster.
Replacing Gascón is Nathan Hochman, a former federal prosecutor and Assistant U.S. Attorney General. Hochman’s campaign website explicitly notes his intent to crack down on crime, stating, “Violent crime is on the rise in California due to early release policies that have let criminals off the hook. As District Attorney, Nathan will be a leader in keeping our families, businesses and communities safe. He will put politics aside and public safety first.”
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