Czech News Crew Covering APEC Robbed at Gunpoint in Stringently Gun-Controlled San Francisco

A news crew from the Czech Republic was robbed at gunpoint Sunday evening while in the Bay Area to cover the Asian-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit.

The San Francisco Chronicle reported that “Czech TV journalist Bohumil Vostal was capturing what he thought would be a majestic shot — San Francisco’s iconic City Lights bookstore, steeped in the gathering dusk — when three masked assailants approached with guns pointed.”

The suspects were able to get away with over $18,000 worth of equipment before fleeing the scene in a sedan.

Vostal indicated that by taking the equipment, the suspects also managed to take footage which had been shot while the Czech crew traversed San Francisco.

KTVU noted that Bay Area stations “often send armed guards with reporters and photographers” as their crews cover stories in San Francisco.

San Francisco is located in California, the state with the most gun control of any state in the Union.

California has universal background checks, an “assault weapons” ban, gun registration requirements, a 10-day waiting period on gun purchases, a limit on the number of guns a law-abiding citizen can buy each month, a ban on campus carry for self-defense, a ban on K-12 teachers being armed for classroom defense, strict regulations on firearms Democrats refer to as “ghost guns,” strict regulations on firearm marketing practices, a background check requirement for ammunition purchases, and numerous other gun and ammunition controls.

While California is No. 1 for gun control, FBI figures showed the state was also No. 1 for “active shooter incidents” in 2021.