Photo: Raymond Velasco
May 2, 2021 – Ventura County, Ca.
Perhaps it’s the national political discussion currently raging over conflicting interpretations of the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment. Or perhaps it’s simply that some people never outgrew a childhood fascination with playing cops-and-robbers or cowboys-and-Indians.
But the April 30th arrest of 61-year-old Ventura resident Raymond Velasco is a clear indication that some people will assume the risk of incarceration to satisfy their love affair with guns.
Velasco weapons
According to VCSD spokesman Sgt. Eduardo Malagon, evidence of that reached the ears of Ventura County Sheriff’s Department Gang Unit detectives earlier in April, in the form of “information indicating Velasco was in possession of unlawfully-obtained firearms and ammunition.
With that information in hand, surveillance teams went to work on April 30th at Velasco’s residence. When their suspect stepped out of his home, the cops personally greeted him and announced their intention to search the residence pursuant to the terms of his probation on a prior firearms conviction.
Once inside the residence, detectives found “a loaded Glock” determined to have been stolen, as well as “a loaded short-barreled AR-15 style rifle” lacking a serial number (illegal in the State of California).
As both a probationer and a former felon, Velasco is a “prohibited person” denied the right to own or possess any firearms or ammunition. Based upon that reality, Velasco was taken into custody and transported to Ventura County Jail, where he was booked on multiple firearms violations and for violation of the terms of his probation.
Photos: Courtesy Ventura County Jail Booking, VCSD Gang Unit
