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Why Are Gun Sales Booming in Posh Beverly Hills?

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High-profile thefts and violent crimes are accelerating the arms race in posh Beverly Hills. (Shutterstock)
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Beverly Hills, home to entertainment celebrities and corporate titans, has just one gun store, and sales are by appointment only.

But following a high-profile murder and several home invasions and retail smash-and-grabs, gun sales are booming.

“This morning I sold six shotguns in about an hour to people that say, ‘I want a home defense shotgun,’” says Russell Stuart, whose store is in a Beverly Hills office building near a diamond dealer. “Everyone has a general sense of constant fear,  which is very sad. We’re used to this being like Mayberry.”

Last March, a $500,000 Richard Mille watch was stolen at gunpoint from a diner. Then the Dec. 1 home-invasion murder of philanthropist Jacqueline Avant, 81, accelerated the arms race in a city where the annual per-capita income eclipses $85,000 and a bargain home goes for $2 million.

Read more at Los Angeles Magazine.

Bill McEwen is news director and columnist for GV Wire. He joined GV Wire in August 2017 after 37 years at The Fresno Bee. With The Bee, he served as Opinion Editor, City Hall reporter, Metro columnist, sports columnist and sports editor through the years. His work has been frequently honored by the California Newspapers Publishers Association, including authoring first-place editorials in 2015 and 2016. Bill and his wife, Karen, are proud parents of two adult sons, and they have two grandsons. You can contact Bill at 559-492-4031 or at Send an Email

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