The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department notified Vince Ricci, the Los Angeles Mid-City homeowner who opened fire on armed suspects who tried to get into his house, that his carry permit had been revoked. Last Sunday, Ricci was returning to his home when he turned the tide on two would-be-armed robbers when he drew his own licensed concealed firearm and opened fire on them. Ricci had just returned to his home after going to the gym when the two armed robbers ran into his front yard and confronted him at his front door. They tried to force their way into the home as Ricci was unlocking the front door. 

The two suspects had already produced handguns and had pointed them at him when Ricci, who said that he "thought he was going to die," produced his own handgun and opened fire on both suspects. Although no suspects were hit by his rounds, his actions immediately caused the two suspects to flee the area. Ricci stated that his five-month-old daughter and his wife were inside the home at the time as well, and he acted instinctively to protect himself and his family. 

On Thursday, Ricci stated that the Sheriff's Department called him to let him know that his permit to carry a concealed firearm had been revoked because he "yelled" at responding LAPD officers a few days later when they came out to investigate the incident further. 

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.

It is unknown if there are other mitigating factors that played a role in Ricci having his permit revoked, but one thing is certain: Ricci is now a defenseless citizen when he goes out in public because he can no longer carry a firearm. All because he hurt the feelings of some officer and/or criticized the department by raising his voice. It should be noted, however, that on private property, such as his residence, you can carry a firearm openly or concealed. Ricci's actions against the robbers are also a perfectly clear example of what a self-defense scenario can look like. 

Ricci has since partnered with the NRA, who put out an ad using his incident as an example of the benefits of being able to carry a firearm. 

"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."

Ricci is, by all accounts, an average American citizen who lives in an upper-middle-class neighborhood and doesn't bother anyone or cause problems. None of that should even matter, however, because one's right to bear arms is an inherent human right, affirmed by the Second Amendment. What matters here is that a citizen with no history of crime or abuse has had his CCW permit revoked for the most asinine reason possible. He said "mean" things and hurt someone's feelings because they didn't like that he had negative things to say about his lackluster police officer experiences. 

Taking away someone's right to self-defense outside of his home for any reason, short of a violent criminal conviction, is immoral and abhorrent. The city and county of Los Angeles have now made a victim out of Ricci by stripping him of his permit to carry. The news of this will do nothing but embolden other criminals to either target Ricci again or just expand the already strong feeling that they can do what they want without any serious recourse because the DA's office is pro-criminal now. 

The consensus of supporters of concealed carry suggests that this recent move to strip away Ricci's carry permit will have a chilling effect all over the city and county of Los Angeles. It sends a message that if someone so much as pulls their firearm in a self-defense situation, they stand a good chance of losing their permit. And at that point, what good is a permit if you lose it when you use a firearm for self-defense? It makes no sense to anyone with a rational mindset. It is unknown if Ricci plans on appealing if he is able to,