By: Friedrich Seiltgen
Copyright © 2023
A California man had his concealed carry license revoked after defensive pistol use.
On November 4th, Vince Ricci, a philanthropist known for charity toy drives, defended himself and his family from two masked thugs who attempted to rob him as he was about to enter the front door of his Mid-City, Los Angeles home, where his wife and five-month-old baby girl were inside. Surveillance video shows the encounter, and you can see one of the thugs run up to Ricci with a pistol pointed at Ricci’s chest.
Ricci dropped his coffee cup and went into action. Ricci pulled his pistol and started shooting. The video shows the thugs running away, one jumping over the wall and the other over the front gate.
After the robbers fled, Ricci filed a report with the LAPD Olympic Division.
Clearly, it was a good shoot, right? Wrong! The LAPD decided to investigate the shooting three days after it happened, and according to the police, Ricci allegedly became angry with the officers and started yelling at them for not picking up spent shell casings and doing a shoddy investigation.
The LAPD responded with this statement:
The Department is continuing the robbery investigation involving Vince Ricci. The Los Angeles Police Department has not issued nor revoked a permit to carry a concealed weapon involving Mr. Ricci. ~ Los Angeles Police Department
After learning of the incident, the National Rifle Association stepped in and defended Ricci. The NRA recently posted a video statement from Ricci on X/Twitter stating:
“After successfully defending my home, my family, and my 5-month-old child, California has now decided to suspend my Second Amendment,” Ricci said in the video. “It was a quiet evening, and I was coming home from the gym. Two armed men, masked, hopped over the wall, ran down on me with guns, and the most terrifying part was my wife and my 5-month-old baby were on the other side of that door. In an effort to protect my family, I drew my gun and returned gunfire. As a result of that night, the California government has temporarily suspended my ability to conceal carry.”
Ricci stated that his car was broken into in May of this year, and a month later, his home was broken into, but no one was home.
There was outrage after the video went viral on X, and Representative Troy E. Nehls, a Texas Republican, suggested that Ricci should move to Texas “where we value the Second Amendment.”
The California Department of Justice and the sheriff’s department administer the concealed weapon permitting system.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department has since released the following statement in response:
“We recognize that this incident was extremely traumatic and startling for the Ricci family, and we hope the individuals responsible for this crime are arrested and held accountable.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) establishes guidelines for CCW permits, and the Sheriff’s Department must follow the DOJ parameters in accordance with the law.
The CCW permit may be immediately reinstated as long as the permit holder has also followed all required CCW policies (i.e., proper notifications, use of properly documented weapons, etc.).
The DOJ has been notified, and there are avenues for Mr. Ricci to re-apply for his permit. We have been in contact with the Ricci family and have been providing them with information about CCW protocols and guidelines in an effort to ensure their Second Amendment rights are protected.
The Sheriff’s Department respects the rights of individuals to exercise their Second Amendment rights and continually processes thousands of CCW permit applications and renewals every year. The Sheriff’s Department CCW Unit works diligently to track, process, and manage individuals who possess or seek CCW permits in Los Angeles County.”
How long the investigation will take or when Ricci can get his CCW permit back is unknown.
That’s all for now, folks! Please keep sending in your questions, tips, and article ideas. And as always – “Let’s Be Careful Out There.”
Friedrich Seiltgen is a retired Master Police Officer with 20 years of service with the Orlando Police Department. He conducts training in Lone Wolf Terrorism Counterstrategies, Firearms, and Active Shooter Response. His writing has appeared in RECOIL, www.floridajolt.com, The Counterterrorist Magazine, American Thinker, Soldier of Fortune, Homeland Security Today, Off Grid, and The Journal of Counterterrorism & Homeland Security International.
Contact him at [email protected].