Weapons & Guns

Guns and ammo are flying off shelves everywhere as Americans seem to be prepping for a worst-case scenario, but, so far, cops are NOT worried about a spike in violence.

Law enforcement sources across the country tell TMZ ... officers aren't blinking at a record number of Americans -- 3,740,688 according to the FBI -- applying for background checks last month alone.

Cops in L.A. tell us, if people knew how many criminals are out there armed, they would not be worried about this current surge. If anything, cops tell us the biggest concern is whether all these new owners have safe places to store their weapons ... such as safes, gun lockers or lockboxes.

Meanwhile, Las Vegas Metro PD sources tell us they have no problem with people buying guns, as long as they're legal. They also hope new gun owners have had or will commit to proper training.

Cops in Miami echo that ... saying the rush of new sales is all good because they're getting background checks, instead of buying illegal guns off the street.

As we told you ... guns and ammo were flying off the shelves in Florida just hours after Gov. Ron DeSantis implemented a "stay at home" order. And remember that nearly 4 million figure from the FBI? It's the first time it's ever gone over 3 mil in a month since 1998 ... when the FBI started recording sales.

At this rate, the FBI and the National Instant Criminal Background Check System will perform more than 36 million background checks in 2020 ... easily beating last year's record of 28M. This, of course, doesn't mean everyone that applies for a background check will actually buy a gun ... but the numbers are startling, for sure.

Playboi Carti's been arrested in Georgia on drug and gun-related charges ... TMZ has learned.

According to law enforcement ... the "wokeuplikethis*" rapper got pulled over in his Lambo Thursday for having an expired tag, and Clayton County officers claim they discovered the drugs and weapons in his vehicle during the traffic stop.

Our sources say Carti's ride was loaded with 12 bags of marijuana, xanax, oxycodone and codeine ... along with 3 firearms.

The rapper was arrested with another man and they were taken to the county jail.

Photos of the items seized during the stop were posted by the Clayton County Sheriff's Office.

Carti posted bond and was released Friday morning.

UFC superstar Jon Jones was arrested for DWI and a gun charge in New Mexico Thursday morning, TMZ Sports has confirmed.

Cops say they responded to reports of gunfire in Albuquerque at around 1 AM -- and when they arrived at the scene, they found Jones inside a 2019 Jeep with the engine running and the car in park.

Jon denied firing a gun -- but officers say he appeared intoxicated (bloodshot, watery eyes and reeked of booze) and conducted a field sobriety test, which he allegedly bombed.

He also took a breathalyzer, twice, and registered over the legal limit both times.

During a subsequent search of the vehicle, cops say they found a black handgun and a half-empty bottle of tequila behind the passenger seat.

He was arrested and booked for aggravated driving while intoxicated, negligent use of a deadly weapon and possession of an open container.

We're told Jones was booked and released and has a bond arraignment court date set for April 9.

We're also told the probation Jon got in his strip club slap case had ended on Jan. 8.

Jones has been arrested for drunk driving in the past -- back in 2012, he pled guilty to DUI after crashing his Bentley into a pole in upstate New York.

Jon has spoken publicly about his issues with substance abuse -- including cocaine -- and it seemed like he was winning the battle.

Jones is widely considered the best MMA fighter of all time -- and he's the current UFC light heavyweight champion with victories over stars like Dominick Reyes, Daniel Cormier and Rampage Jackson.

Tekashi 6ix9ine's desire to get revenge on his rivals got an innocent woman shot ... according to her, and she wants him to fork over $150 million for the incident.

The woman, who filed a lawsuit as Jane Doe, claims the rapper's responsible for the stray bullet striking her left foot and, therefore, shattering her dreams becoming a police officer.

In docs, obtained by TMZ, the woman says this all went down in July 2018 when she was hanging in the courtyard of the Smurf Village apartment complex in Brooklyn. Coincidentally, she claims several members of the notorious Nine Trey Bloods behind Tekashi's kidnapping were also there ... filming a music video.

She says word got back to Tekashi they were there and, in the suit, she alleges he ordered his boys to shoot 'em up. When the bullets started flying, one hit her foot ... and she also hurt her knee and back while falling to the ground.

Her injuries required surgery, physical therapy and she's been treated by a psychologist ... according to the suit. She also couldn't continue working at Century 21 due to her injuries and she had to scrap plans to attend the police academy.

In docs, she acknowledges Tekashi apologized in open court and offered to pay for her medical bills, but that's clearly not enough. She's suing for more than $150 mil in damages.

Tekashi's attorney, Dawn Florio, tells us, "It's suspicious that the plaintiff only sued Daniel Hernandez who was never identified as the shooter in her case. The plaintiff did not sue the persons involved in her shooting. To be clear, Daniel did not shoot her."

Joe Biden's fighting for every vote in Michigan ... even if it means going toe-to-toe in a heated exchange with a Detroit autoworker accusing him of trying to violate the 2nd Amendment.

The current Democratic frontrunner met with employees at an auto plant -- as Michigan and 5 other states are holding primaries Tuesday -- and at least one of Biden's meet and greets didn't go as planned. Surrounded by workers in hardhats, Biden ended up telling one of 'em ... he's "full of s**t!"

The worker claimed Joe's against the right to bear arms, but the former VP didn't let the statement go unchecked. He also quickly shushed an aide who tried to pull him away from the confrontation.

Biden told the autoworker he supports the 2nd Amendment and owns many guns himself, but points out that gun rights don't equate to owning any weapon you want ... like assault rifles.

The worker fired back saying there's a "viral video" proving him right, but Biden said it's a lie.

The exchange didn't end on a friendly note either -- the worker told Biden he works for him, but Biden shot that down ... then it sounded like he told him to stop being a "horse's ass."

Lil Baby's concert Saturday night ended abruptly after gunshots rang out and at least one person was injured.

Check out the video ... you hear the shots and then the panic in the crowd. The rapper was performing at the Bill Harris Arena in West Birmingham, Alabama when someone in the crowd began firing rounds. Some fans hit the floor ... others ran out of the venue.

At least one person was taken to a nearby hospital for treatment. The person's condition is not known.

What we do know is this ... there was some sort of physical altercation before the shots rang out, so it appears this was targeted.

The son of ex-"Real Housewives of Orange County" star Lauri Peterson is off the hook for attempted murder -- thanks to a sweet plea deal -- and he's walking out of jail.

Josh Waring pled guilty on Friday to felony counts of assault with a firearm, evading a peace officer, 2 counts of assault, hit-and-run with property damage and battery ... this according to court records. Waring's attorney, Joel Garson, tells us Waring will get time served and be released later today.

As we've reported ... Waring's been locked up for nearly 4 years while waiting for his trial since his July 2016 arrest when he was accused of shooting a man outside a sober living home. He initially pled not guilty.

It's been a harrowing time for Waring behind bars. As we first reported ... he was ambushed back in October 2019 at the Orange County jail in Santa Ana and brutally assaulted by another inmate wielding razors wrapped in towels.

Waring suffered deep gashes to his chest and face. Waring's lawyer believed the attack could have been retaliation against Josh for filing a federal lawsuit against Orange County and its Sheriff's Department for violating his civil rights.

New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was arrested at LaGuardia on Thursday ... cops tell TMZ Sports the former 1st-round pick brought a gun to the airport.

Law enforcement sources tell us Williams was going through a security checkpoint at around 9:15 PM ET when TSA agents scanned his luggage and found a Glock 19.

The way it was put to us ... Quinnen told officials he believed he could carry the gun into New York legally ... since the 22-year-old does have an Alabama permit for the firearm.

But, after authorities explained to the 6'3", 303-pound NFL player he had to have an NY permit to carry there ... they arrested him on a charge of criminal possession of a weapon.

We're told Williams was issued a summons ... and will be forced to appear in court later this month.

Quinnen was a MASSIVE star coming out of the Univ. of Alabama ... he was the No. 3 pick by the Jets in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Williams played in 13 games for NY this past season -- starting nine of them -- and he recorded 2.5 sacks with 28 combined tackles.

Ariana Grande's crib was visited by police after someone called 911 claiming shots were being fired on the property ... but we've learned it was nothing more than a swatting call.

Law enforcement sources tell TMZ ... cops sent a couple units to the artist's L.A.-area home Wednesday night around 5 PM after someone called police claiming there was a shooting in progress.

Our sources say Ariana has been swatted at least once before, so police were skeptical when the 911 call came in, but they still sent 2 cars to check out the situation. We're told cops did not talk to Ariana -- they spoke to the property manager -- and law enforcement ultimately determined it was another instance of swatting and LAPD took a 911 abuse report.

Sources say LAPD will investigate because they want to stop swatting calls ... cops say it's dangerous because it takes away resources from where they're needed most.

Doctors tried to save Pop Smoke's life by opening his chest after he was rushed to the hospital with multiple gunshot wounds.

Pop Smoke's death certificate, obtained by TMZ, says doctors performed a thoracotomy on the left side of his chest -- meaning they opened his chest, most likely attempting to remove bullets. As we first reported, he was hit multiple times when masked assailants broke into the Hollywood Hills home where he was staying.

Pop Smoke's cause of death was a gunshot wound to the torso, according to the document. It says the time between the shooting and his death was "rapid."

The rapper -- born Bashar Barakah Jackson -- died at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center at 5:12 AM.

The document also reveals his body was transported back to his native Brooklyn. Pop Smoke's family held a private ceremony last weekend for close friends and family.