Now CHAZ has guns: Seattle autonomous zone ‘warlord’ filmed handing out AR-15s to followers

Raz Simone, the so-called warlord of the Capitol Hill Autonomous Zone carved out of Seattle by activists, has been filmed handing out assault rifles to minors. That’s a state felony, if only there were anyone to enforce the law.

Video that surfaced on Monday – from Simone’s own June 10 Facebook livestream, apparently – shows him handing out assault rifles that look like the ubiquitous AR-15 semi-automatic, including to individuals who look far younger than 21.

Washington state law, which came into effect last year, makes it a gross misdemeanor to transfer an assault rifle to anyone under 21, with any subsequent offenses considered felonies.

Moreover, under the law, persons between the ages of 18 and 21 are only able to possess a semiautomatic assault rifle or pistol in their place of residence or business, on real property under their control or when moving houses or traveling “to and from” allowed storage locations, as well as in the case of selling to those over 21.

That apparently doesn’t seem to apply in “CHAZ,” the anarchist commune occupied by Black Lives Matter and other activists over the past week, consisting of several blocks of downtown Seattle around the East Precinct abandoned by the city’s police department.

Seattle Mayor Jenny Durkan – a Democrat – hasn’t lifted a finger to enforce local or state laws inside the zone. Instead, she defended“CHAZ” as an experiment in democracy, during a Twitter spat with President Donald Trump.

Raz has rejected the label of “warlord” and told reporters last week he created a de facto police replacement “to keep the peace and unity, honestly, that’s it.”

The rapper and activist has also overcome cancel culture, claiming he had been “hacked” after several conservative journalists dug up his tweets from years ago that used homophobic language. Meanwhile, residents have reportedly been growing weary of Chaz’s policing methods, which saw the neighborhood descending into chaos. The man has faced accusations of punching journalists, with one disturbing video showing activists placing a Christian preacher in a chokehold last week.

Like this story? Share it with a friend!