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Cities reach settlement in suit against SoCal gun dealer
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - A gun dealer has agreed to surrender his firearms licenses and quit selling guns under a settlement that resolves a lawsuit brought by Los Angeles and other cities that accused Hawthorne Distributors Inc. of supplying underground markets with handguns used in crimes.
Under terms of the settlement approved Wednesday by San Diego Superior Court Judge Vincent DiFiglia, Hawthorne Distributors and any related companies are permanently prohibited from holding firearms licenses or selling firearms. The ban extends to the company's president, Norman Zalben, his wife and children.
"The settlement approved today is the first step in eliminating illegal gun dealers from Los Angeles, Southern California and the state of California," said Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.
Zalben and his company admitted no wrongdoing.
"We operated always within the guidelines of state, local and federal laws," Zalben said.
The Hawthorne-based retailer was sued by Los Angeles city and county and the Southern California cities of Inglewood, West Hollywood and Compton. San Francisco and other Northern California municipalities also filed a similar suit.
The actions claimed the defendants created a public nuisance by distributing weapons in a way that made them accessible to criminals through illegitimate markets.
"The evidence obtained contains significant `trafficking indicators' demonstrating a strong likelihood that guns were sold by Hawthorne to gun traffickers and unauthorized users," said Deputy City Attorney Don Klass.
That evidence included bulk sales to the same person and a high volume of guns used in crimes traced back to Hawthorne Distributors by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
Zalben, who said his company stopped selling guns a year ago, maintained that Hawthorne Distributors did nothing wrong. He said its customers included professional people and police officers.
"Because we were a high volume dealer ... we had a higher proportion of multiple sales," he said. "This indicator has nothing to do with an elevated level of crime as a result of the sale of those firearms."
The company now sells holsters, ammunition, clothing, camping gear and other items, Zalben said.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5545021.htm
Associated Press
LOS ANGELES - A gun dealer has agreed to surrender his firearms licenses and quit selling guns under a settlement that resolves a lawsuit brought by Los Angeles and other cities that accused Hawthorne Distributors Inc. of supplying underground markets with handguns used in crimes.
Under terms of the settlement approved Wednesday by San Diego Superior Court Judge Vincent DiFiglia, Hawthorne Distributors and any related companies are permanently prohibited from holding firearms licenses or selling firearms. The ban extends to the company's president, Norman Zalben, his wife and children.
"The settlement approved today is the first step in eliminating illegal gun dealers from Los Angeles, Southern California and the state of California," said Los Angeles City Attorney Rocky Delgadillo.
Zalben and his company admitted no wrongdoing.
"We operated always within the guidelines of state, local and federal laws," Zalben said.
The Hawthorne-based retailer was sued by Los Angeles city and county and the Southern California cities of Inglewood, West Hollywood and Compton. San Francisco and other Northern California municipalities also filed a similar suit.
The actions claimed the defendants created a public nuisance by distributing weapons in a way that made them accessible to criminals through illegitimate markets.
"The evidence obtained contains significant `trafficking indicators' demonstrating a strong likelihood that guns were sold by Hawthorne to gun traffickers and unauthorized users," said Deputy City Attorney Don Klass.
That evidence included bulk sales to the same person and a high volume of guns used in crimes traced back to Hawthorne Distributors by the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms.
Zalben, who said his company stopped selling guns a year ago, maintained that Hawthorne Distributors did nothing wrong. He said its customers included professional people and police officers.
"Because we were a high volume dealer ... we had a higher proportion of multiple sales," he said. "This indicator has nothing to do with an elevated level of crime as a result of the sale of those firearms."
The company now sells holsters, ammunition, clothing, camping gear and other items, Zalben said.
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/local/5545021.htm
