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Rambo's Guns
hypocrisy
1. The claim, pretense, or false representation of holding beliefs, feelings, or virtues that one does not actually possess.
hypocrite
1. Someone that practices hypocrisy.
In early June of 2007, Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca was making headlines in the news because of his role in the sensational "Paris Hilton goes to jail" story that was all over the media. This incident started a flurry of allegations that Sheriff Baca gave special and preferential treatment to the stars and celebrities of Los Angeles County. In one article that was published on the web, it was alleged that Sheriff Baca had issued concealed carry weapons permits (CCW) to Hollywood stars such as Sylvester Stallone and Ben Affleck.
The rumor that Sylvester Stallone was issued a CCW permit struck my interest as I had recently been made aware that he had attended a Los Angeles event sponsored by the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence. The "Brady Bunch", as they are commonly referred to by gun-rights advocates, are one of the most well known organizations that are lobbying to take away our rights as lawful gun owners. I was also learning that Stallone had been quoted in the past saying some very anti-gun statements, even advocating door to door gun confiscations! I found all of this terribly hypocritical.
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"Look at what's happening in America's inner-cities. If our hopeless legal system continues going the same liberal direction, there will be anarchy before long. We need one person in an influential position to stand up and tell the truth about gun control lobbies, the death penalty and that our criminal justice system basically stinks."
Sylvester Stallone, interview in Cinefantastique magazine, June 1995
"until America, door to door, takes every handgun, this is what you're gonna have... It really is pathetic... We're livin' in the Dark Ages over there."
Sylvester Stallone, March 28, 1998
"I know we use guns in films," but insisted the time has come "to be a little more accountable and realize that this is an escalating problem that’s eventually going to lead to, I think, urban warfare."
Sylvester Stallone on Access Hollywood, June 8, 1998
"It [2nd Amendment] has to be stopped, and someone really has to go on the line, a certain dauntless political figure, and say, ‘It’s ending, it’s over, all bets are off. It’s not 200 years ago, we don’t need this anymore, and the rest of the world doesn’t have it. Why should we?"
Sylvester Stallone on Access Hollywood, June 8, 1998
sources: here, here, here, and here
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Stallone at the Brady Center sponsored "Stand Up for a Safe America" event in Los Angeles, CA on Sunday, November 22nd.
Note that Bernie Mac is also guilty of hypocricy when it comes to gun rights:
“I have Glocks, .45s, Berettas, over-unders, Remingtons. I like the marksmanship and the discipline that it takes to be a gun owner. I like the machinery, breaking it down. Being able to take it out, clean it and put the spring back in is even more fascinating than having the gun.”
Bernie Mac in Playboy interview, December 2004
How can someone that has made millions of dollars in films that glorify gun violence and killing, movies such as First Blood, Rambo, Cobra, and Judge Dredd just to name a few, be so hypocritical on the issue of the Second Amendment and gun ownership rights. Can someone that is so clearly supporting the Brady Bunch and has called for door-to-door gun confiscations actually own guns himself and have a CCW permit? Not to mention the special treatment he would have received in order to get a CCW permit in a county where it is nearly impossible to get one. I was encouraged by members of my gun forum community to try to obtain a copy of Stallone's CCW application through the California Public Records Act. With help on how to word the request to obtain a copy of Stallones CCW application I sent my first letter to Sheriff Leroy D. Baca of the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department. As advised, I sent this letter via certified mail so that I could track when the letter was received at their office and also so they could not deny having received the letter.
Letter 1:
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Monday, June 11, 2007
Leroy D. Baca, Sheriff
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
4700 Ramona Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
Dear Sir:
The purpose of this letter is to make a request to your department for information pursuant to the California Public Records Act (PRA), GOVT. CODE §§ 6250 - 6276.48. According to the PRA, records of county government entities, including sheriffs' departments, are generally public records. According to the CBS v Block ruling (see attached), Concealed Carry of Weapons (CCW) application, issuance and renewal records are public records for the purposes of §§ 6250 - 6276.48.
According to recent media reports, one Sylvester Stallone, a resident of Los Angeles County, has a CCW issued by your office. I am writing to request the Concealed Carry of a Weapon (CCW) application record for Mr. Stallone. Please include pages 3 through 13 (inclusive) of the application.
Information to be made available includes "any writing, picture, sound, or symbol, whether paper,…, magnetic or other media." (§ 6252(e)) Please also include a color copy of the photograph from Mr. Stallone's CCW application.
Finally, please include copies of any letters, such as approval letters or renewal letters, which related to Mr. Stallone's CCW application, either from your office to Mr. Stallone, or received by your office from Mr. Stallone.
According to the Public Records Act, your office may charge statutory duplication fees for these records, usually in the range of $0.10 to $0.25 per page. I expect that the number of pages of records involved will be small, so duplication fees in this matter will be small. Please send me a bill along with the records and I will pay promptly.
The Public Records Act requires you to respond within ten days, and I do not expect any delays.
Please address all responses to me by mail at my address above.
Thank you for your assistance.
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Response 1:
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In their first response, written by Undersheriff Larry L. Waldie, the Sheriff's Department tried to give me an evasive answer. Rather than providing me with a copy of the CCW application which I clearly requested they merely replied that "for your information, Mr. Stallone does not have a concealed weapons license". Well ok, that may be true but I didn't ask if he currently has a CCW license, I asked for a copy of his application. I wasn't going to give up so easily. With the advice of others, I decided to write another letter of request - this time just to get acknowledgement of whether he has ever applied for a CCW permit and, if so, on what dates. |
Letter 2:
Monday, June 25, 2007
Lieutenant James Hellmold
Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department
4700 Ramona Blvd.
Monterey Park, CA 91754
VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
Dear Sir:
Thank you for your response to my letter of June 11, 2007. I am now requesting the following information:
Please inform me as to whether a Mr. Sylvester Stallone has applied for a CCW, or a CCW renewal, from your department within the past five years. If so, please inform me of the dates of application. If he applied for a renewal, please inform me as to the date of issuance of his initial permit.
The purpose of this letter is to make a request to your department for information pursuant to the California Public Records Act (PRA), GOVT. CODE §§ 6250 - 6276.48. According to the PRA, records of county government entities, including sheriffs' departments, are generally public records. According to the CBS v Block ruling (see attached), Concealed Carry of Weapons (CCW) application, issuance and renewal records are public records for the purposes of §§ 6250 - 6276.48.
According to the Public Records Act, your office may charge statutory duplication fees for these records, usually in the range of $0.10 to $0.25 per page. I expect that the number of pages of records involved will be small, so duplication fees in this matter will be small. Please send me a bill along with the records and I will pay promptly.
The Public Records Act requires you to respond within ten days, and I do not expect any delays. Please address all responses to me by mail at my address above.
Thank you for your assistance.
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Response 2:
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Ah, now we are getting somewhere. This letter didn't come from the Sherrif's office, but from the Office of the County Counsel. I guess they decided they need to let the county lawyers handle this request since I didn't go away after their initial brush-off response. In this letter they do confirm that Stallone has indeed applied for a CCW permit within the last five years but they need an additional 14 days in order to provide me with the actual dates. So I wait... |
Response 3:
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Sure enough, about two weeks later I receive another letter from the Office of the County Counsel and it has the confirmation I was looking for!
"The Sheriff's Department indicates that Mr. Stallone applied for a CCW permit on September 29, 2004. He was issued a permit on November 30, 2004."
Armed with confirmation that he had indeed applied for and been granted a CCW permit in Los Angeles County, I wrote another letter asking specifically for a copy of Stallone's CCW application that was submitted to them on September 29, 2004.
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Letter 3:
Wednesday, August 01, 2007
Raymond G. Fortner, Jr.
County Counsel
648 Kenneth Hahn Hall of Administration
500 West Temple Street
Los Angeles, CA 90012
VIA CERTIFIED MAIL
Dear Mr. Fortner:
Thank you for your response to my letter of June 25, 2007 in which I requested information on whether or not Mr. Sylvester Stallone had applied for a CCW permit and the date of the application. Now that I have confirmation that Mr. Stallone did indeed apply for a CCW permit on September 29, 2004 and that a permit was issued on November 30, 2004, I wish to again repeat my original request for a copy of Mr. Sylvester Stallone’s CCW application which was submitted on September 29, 2004.
Please include pages 3 through 13 (inclusive) of the application. Please also include a copy of the photograph from Mr. Stallone's CCW application.
Finally, please include copies of any letters, such as approval letters or renewal letters, which related to Mr. Stallone's CCW application, either from your office to Mr. Stallone, or received by your office from Mr. Stallone.
According to the Public Records Act, your office may charge statutory duplication fees for these records, usually in the range of $0.10 to $0.25 per page. I expect that the number of pages of records involved will be small, so duplication fees in this matter will be small. Please send me a bill along with the records and I will pay promptly.
The Public Records Act requires you to respond within ten days, and I do not expect any delays.
Please address all responses to me by mail at my address above. Thank you for your assistance.
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Response 4:
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On August 24, 2007 I receive a large envelope in the mail from the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department. Inside of it is a copy of Sylvester Stallone's CCW application - well, some of it at least. All of his personal information such as SSN, address, and phone numbers have been redacted but also is his entire good cause statement! On page 14 of the application Stallone signed a statement found on all CCW applications that states "Notwithstanding any other provision of law and pursuant to the Public Records Act (Government Code section 6250 et seq.), I understand that information contained in this application may be a matter of public record and shall be made available upon request or court order." I guess that doesn't apply to the rich and famous Hollywood-elite crowd. Below you will find scans of all the relevant pages of Stallones CCW application. I only include pages where Stallone actually supplies information and didn't bother with the pages that just contain text of the penal code and other information.
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Sylvester Stallone's CCW Application
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