FIRST ON FOX: A Los Angeles homeowner who used a firearm to fend off apparent would-be robbers at his home said his concealed carry permit was taken away just days after the residential-neighborhood shoot-out.
"After successfully defending my home and my family and my 5-month-old child, California has now decided to suspend my Second Amendment [rights]," L.A. resident and married father of one Vince Ricci said in a video for the NRA that was exclusively shared with Fox News Digital.
Ricci told Fox News Digital that the sheriff's office called him Thursday morning to inform him his concealed carry permit was "revoked," and he said it was due to him "yelling" at Los Angeles police officers when they visited his home to investigate the shooting three days after the incident. Ricci previously railed that the LAPD – the department investigating the case – carried out "sloppy police" work, including allegedly not picking up the casings scattered near his home as evidence.
The sheriff's office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital's request for comment on the matter, and it is unclear if other factors played a role in the homeowner losing his concealed carry permit.
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A gunfight broke out on Ricci’s front door on Nov. 4 just after the homeowner returned to his gated Los Angeles house after hitting the gym. Two armed men jumped his fence and tried to force their way in the house as Ricci was about to unlock his front door. Ricci’s wife, 5-month-old daughter and the family’s nanny were inside.
Obtaining a concealed carry permit in California has historically been difficult compared to other states, with Ricci previously telling Fox News Digital it took months for his permit to process.
Ricci, however, used his firearm on his private property. California law allows legal U.S. residents over the age of 18 to carry firearms on private property and residences without a permit or license.
Ricci said in the NRA video that the shooting is a clear self-defense case, noting he was confronted by two men "pointing guns at my chest" as he tried to make his way into the home.
"My situation is unique because it happened at my front door, all on camera. But this happens time and time again all over the country … People sweep it under the rug because it doesn't behoove their political agenda. The fact is, evil will always exist," he said.
In an interview with Fox News Digital last week, Ricci said that this wasn’t the first time he’s been targeted by criminals. His home was broken into in June, and his car was broken into just months before that. He said a group of criminals were targeting other homes in his neighborhood, that they were driving a Dodge Charger with no license plate and had broken into his neighbor’s house the night prior to the shoot-out.
The LAPD previously provided Fox News Digital with the department's press release on the attempted robbery and said detectives are investigating and calling on members to come forward with any tips on the case.
The NRA told Fox News Digital the organization is "proud to have Vince as a fellow NRA member" and called the revocation of his CCW "reprehensible."
"His decisive actions to protect his wife and daughter embody the core principles that NRA members fight for every day," NRA spokesperson Billy McLaughlin said in a statement. "It's reprehensible that California is shredding his Second Amendment rights after he defended his family. Governor [Gavin] Newsom and [Los Angeles County District Attorney George] Gascon's pro-criminal policies have transformed Los Angeles and the wider state into what resembles a war zone. The NRA stands with Vince and every responsible gun owner in California, firmly committed to defending their rights to protect their families and communities."
In his comments to the NRA, Ricci compared Los Angeles to a "war zone" while pinning blame on left-wing local leaders whom he says have failed to carry out the full extent of the law on violent criminals.
"I used to walk into this house and see this beautiful house that I built for my family, and now I walk into a war zone … Right here in L.A., an innocent L.A. father was killed because District Attorney Gascon released a violent criminal back into the streets. And this is just one of the dozens of cases right here in this city," he said.
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The owner of Beverly Hills Guns, which is located in the ritzy Los Angeles County city, told Fox News Digital that Ricci’s case is a clear-cut example of a legally armed man exercising his Second Amendment right to protect himself and young family on his private property.
"The bottom line is that this is a man who defended himself on his own property with a gun that was legally owned by himself," Russell Stuart told Fox News Digital in a phone interview Wednesday.
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Stuart said that crimes from 25 years ago when a criminal would target a home with an unloaded gun to try to scare residents are in the rearview mirror. He argued that Los Angeles’ criminals of 2023 don’t think twice about using loaded weapons on law-abiding citizens to get what they want.
"Now, these people are coming heavily armed with fully loaded weapons. And as the evidence shows, they are prepared and will, and did, use them. So, this man had to defend his family, had to defend himself. He was on his own property against armed assailants," he said.
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Stuart said he’s seeing a large increase in Angelenos and other customers applying for CCW permits in recent days, citing the war in Israel and the Jewish community looking to protect themselves in the face of antisemitism. He said customers start lining up at his shop’s doors at 7 a.m. to try to get an appointment at his concierge-style store three hours before they actually open.
He asked what message California leaders are sending to law-abiding armed residents of the city when a man defending himself and family on private property is stripped of his concealed carry permit.
"The fact that anyone, our politicians, our law enforcement officers, our district attorney could see this man as anything but a hero defending his family is absolutely disgusting," Stuart said.
"It also sets a precedent and will send a ripple through the community, especially the Jewish community right now. … What message is this sending them that while you're on your own property, facing armed assailants with loaded weapons, that if you defend yourself, you might face prosecution? What message is that going to send?"
Ricci said his Second Amendment rights are now "in jeopardy" thanks to left-wing California politicians.
"When the incident happened, there were only two things I could rely on: myself and the Second Amendment; and now that's in jeopardy. The leftist gun grabbers do not care about your safety. The NRA does," he said.
