L.A. County official calls for probe of shop where accused correspondents' dinner shooter Cole Allen bought gun
Los Angeles County Supervisor Janice Hahn has called for an investigation into the Torrance gun store where the alleged White House Correspondents' Dinner gunman purchased his shotgun.
In a letter, Hahn called on LA County District Attorney Nathan Hochman to launch an investigation into Turner's Outdoorsman gun store over its sale practices.
On April 25, the alleged gunman, Cole Allen, armed with a shotgun, handgun and multiple knives, attempted to charge a security checkpoint outside the dinner at the Washington Hilton Hotel.
At least five to eight gunshots were fired during the incident, and a Secret Service agent was injured, two law enforcement sources told CBS News. Allen was confronted by Secret Service Uniformed Division officers and tackled to the ground.
Allen, 31, from Torrance, allegedly purchased the shotgun from a Turner's Outdoorsman location on Hawthorne Boulevard, Hahn says. He is charged with using a firearm during a crime of violence, the transportation of a firearm in interstate commerce with intent to commit a felony and attempting to assassinate the president of the U.S.
Hahn says data from the California Department of Justice links eight Turner's Outdoorsman stores in LA County to a "disproportionate number of firearms recovered at crime scenes." She also alleges that between 2022 and 2024, nearly 8,000 crime guns in the state were traced back to Turner's locations, which is more than any other dealer in California.
Hahn added that the Torrance location alone "accounted for 624 of those weapons, ranking second among all individual gun retailers statewide."
In a statement for CBS LA, the DA's office says they will actively investigate any firearms dealer that violates local, state or federal laws.
"We are confident the Supervisor knows that the ATF has primary jurisdiction over federally licensed firearm dealers, and we will partner with any federal or state agency to ensure guns are being purchased properly based on California's strict gun laws," the statement said.
The DA's office added that it hopes the LA County Board of Supervisors ensures the necessary resources needed to conduct the investigations are provided, given its recent efforts to cut the DA's budget.
CBS LA has reached out to Torrance city officials and Turner's Outdoorsman for a comment.
"Turner's Outdoorsman's practices demand investigation," Hahn said. "Every day, guns sold at Turner's locations in LA County turn up at crime scenes. These guns are used to kill, to injure, to rob, and to intimidate."
Hahn also sent a letter to Torrance Mayor George Chen and the Torrance City Council calling on them to implement stricter regulations on gun stores across their city.
Allen has not entered a plea yet and is set to be arraigned on May 11.
