Just hours after city officials called for an end to street violence by announcing a 24-hour ceasefire Thursday afternoon, a teenager was sent to the hospital with life-threatening injuries following a fight near Mission and 18th streets that resulted in gunfire.

The shooting occurred around 3 pm Thursday after a “big fight” broke out near Mission and 18th streets. Witnesses heard one or two gunshots, as Mission Local reports. According to reports on Citizen, the teen was shot in the abdomen by two suspects wearing black masks who fled the scene.

Police were still determining how many suspects were involved, and at least one suspect was believed to have fled east on foot down 18th Street. Footage of the crime scene via Citizen shows the intersection taped off and surrounded by several police vehicles.

Per Mission Local, the victim ran into Homies Organizing the Mission to Empower Youth (HOMEY), a youth center at 2221 Mission Street, where youth staff administered first aid. While the youth wasn’t involved with HOMEY, he reportedly knew participants in the program.

“The youth team kept him alive until the ambulance came,” said HOMEY’s executive director, Roberto Eligio Alfaro, speaking to Mission Local.

Person Shot in Abdomen, Masked Suspects Flee Scene @CitizenApp

2225 Mission St Yesterday 3:08:05 PM PDT

Earlier on Thursday, city leaders called for a 24-hour ceasefire directed at local youth and street gangs, as the city has seen 14 homicides so far this year, compared to 4 in the same period in 2025, as SFist reported.

The Chronicle reports that there have been 29 shootings so far in 2026, compared to 26 last year, and firearms were involved in nine of this year's 14 homicides.

The investigation into the Mission Street shooting is ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Related: Calling It a 'Crisis Point,' DA Brooke Jenkins and Other City Leaders Call For Ceasefire Amid Spike In SF Homicides

Image: Citizen app

At a San Jose elementary school concert, school board trustee and teacher Brian Wheatley went off-book and sang an unapproved, old-timey Christmas parody mentioning guns, which he’s reportedly sung over the years. The school principal swiftly cut him off and sent out an apology.

As NBC Bay Area reports, families of students at San Jose Unified School District’s Reed Elementary received an email apologizing for a controversial song that was sung by Wheatley during the school’s winter concert program Friday. Principal Jennifer Ponzio wrote in the email that Wheatley had requested to sing a song that wasn’t on the schedule, which Ponzio quickly deemed inappropriate upon hearing and jumped in.

“During the concert, which included eight classes, our Trustee requested to sing a song that was not part of the planned program,” Ponzio says in the email, per NBC Bay Area. “The song, which dates back to the 1940s, included references that were not appropriate for a young audience, including mention of a weapon. After approximately 30 seconds, I intervened and stopped the sing-along.”

"Our Trustee has acknowledged this lapse in judgment and has taken full responsibility for the impact of his actions,” the email continues.

"As a school community, we also recognize the importance of clear expectations and safeguards for school events,” Ponzio’s email concludes. “Moving forward, we will be more intentional and diligent in ensuring that all performances and remarks follow approved agendas and reflect our shared values, so that this does not happen again.”

Ponzio shared Wheatley’s apology, which assures families it will never happen again.

"I wanted to follow up with a direct and sincere apology for my lapse in judgement during the school sing-along,” Wheatley’s email states, per NBC Bay Area. “In an effort to bring levity and humor, I shared verses that were inappropriate, and I'm truly sorry for any disruption or distress this may have caused students, staff or families.”

"I take full responsibility for the impact of my actions,” he continues. “As a board member for the past seven years, I value the trust our school communities place in us and have deeply appreciated many positive moments we have shared at Reed events.”

“Please rest assured it will not happen again” Wheatley concludes. “Moving forward, I will be more deliberate and thoughtful in every school setting to ensure my actions reflect our shared commitment to student safety and well-being.”

Wheatley is currently running for re-election for the Trustee Area 4 seat.

Some parents from Reed Elementary discussed the matter on Reddit. The original poster said his five-year-old came home mentioning some old guy singing a parody of “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer,” about a cowboy with a “big red gun.”

“My daughter came home from our last day before winter break and explained that an old man asked to sing a song at the holiday sing along today,” writes the OP, Huge_Lingonberry_140. “According to my daughter and the principals email, he took the microphone and started singing a parody of Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer except the lyrics were about a cowboy with a big red gun, ‘turn and run’.”

“How did this guy get elected trustee and how do we get him out?” the OP concludes.

Redditor iamagrizzly responded saying the song in question was likely “Randolph the Red Gunned Cowboy.”

Another Redditor, CommunicationMany507, said they're a former student of Wheatley, who reportedly sang the song annually, including while carolling with students at local convalescent homes. They said the students loved it back in the day.

But times have changed, largely due to gun violence.

Image: Brian Wheatley Trustee

The post has been updated with the correct first name of Reed Elementary's principal, Jennifer Ponzio.

The Berkeley Police Department has arrested a San Francisco man in connection with multiple shooting incidents on October 26 in which no one was reportedly injured. And when they served a warrant at his home, they found a lot of weapons.

The incidents were reported early in the morning of October 26, and as the Berkeley Scanner reported at the time, one of the witnesses said they'd seen a man shooting a gun into the air just after midnight.

UC Berkeley's ShotSpotter system recorded multiple gunshots south of the campus and moving west, and as KPIX reports, a WarnMe alert from UC Berkeley urged residents and students to avoid Haste Street, Telegraph Avenue, 2299 Bancroft Avenue, 2223 Fulton Avenue, 2200 University Avenue.

Automatic license plate reader cameras, along with witness accounts and surveillance footage, helped Berkeley police identify the suspect, a 45-year-old San Francisco man who still has not been publicly named.

Police served a search warrant at the man's home on Thursday and discovered nine handguns, three assault rifles, and many rounds ammunition, all of which was seized.

The suspect was arrested on suspicion of assault with a firearm, willfully discharging a firearm at an occupied building or vehicle, and other gun-related offenses.

No further information about the case has been shared.

"We are grateful for the on-going support, collaboration, and resources that continue to assist us in providing a safe city and community," the BPD says in a statement. "We would also like to thank the UC Berkeley Police Department, San Francisco Police Department, San Francisco Fire Department, East Bay Regional Parks Police Department and the Berkeley Fire Department for their assistance in this matter."

A raid on a cigarette shop in Oakland’s Seminary neighborhood turned up pounds of marijuana, cases of illegal menthols, two loaded guns, and what police call “suspected crystal methamphetamine.”

Oakland, like San Francisco and now the whole state of California, has a menthol cigarette ban. So it is not legal to sell menthols at Bay Area smoke shops. One of them on International Boulevard in Oakland’s Seminary neighborhood was recently caught with several cases of Newport menthols, but that’s probably the least of their worries, as KRON4 reports the shop was also busted in possession of pounds of marijuana, loaded guns, and suspected crystal meth.

The raid was apparently conducted way back on February 22, but the Oakland Police Department is just announcing it now. The raid, or “inspection” as the OPD is calling it, also involved the US Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

“During the inspection, officers seized a large amount of illegally possessed cannabis and related products, suspected crystal methamphetamine, flavored prohibited tobacco products, and a large quantity of non-taxed cigarettes,” OPD said in a Monday Facebook post. “The officers also recovered two loaded firearms from the store.”

That post also twice makes mention of tobacco sales to minors, so one wonders if that offense was what led to the “inspection.” The OPD says no arrests were made, but referred the case to both the Alameda County District Attorney and the Oakland City Attorney.

Neither the OPD announcement nor the KRON4 report makes mention of the name of the smoke shop. But according to KRON4, the described 5900 block of International Boulevard has “two smoke shops: Pop’s Gifts & Smoke Shop and Bob’s Smoke Shop.” As seen above, they happen to be right next to each other.

And one of the two has prominent signs on the windows promoting “Delta-8 THC” and “CBD,” so feel free to draw your own conclusions.

The Oakland Police Department says that if you suspect a business of selling illegal tobacco, or tobacco to minors, to contact the OPD Alcohol Beverage and Tobacco (ABAT) Unit at (510) 777-8677.

Related: Oakland Man Arrested in Alleged $137,000 Stolen Cigarette Fencing Operation [SFist]

Image: Google Street View

The California Bureau of Firearms raided a home in the East Bay city of Richmond, and arrested a man for having nearly 250 guns and a million rounds of ammunition. And for good measure, the fellow had already been prohibited from owning weapons.

California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced on Thursday that the state’s Bureau of Firearms raided a home in Richmond, according to the Chronicle, a raid that actually happened back on January 31. And it turns out they had a very good reason to raid that home.

According to a state Department of Justice press release, the raid tuned up “approximately 11 military-style machine guns, 133 handguns, 37 rifles, 60 assault rifles, 7 shotguns, 20 silencers, 4 flare guns, 3,000 large capacity magazines, approximately one million rounds of miscellaneous caliber ammunition, and dozens of rifle receivers and pistol frames.”

On top of all that, the state also alleges the man had also been previously prohibited from owning weapons. The suspect was not named in the release, nor were the charges he faces, but you can easily assume what several of these charges will be.  

“This arrest demonstrates exactly why the Armed and Prohibited Persons System is vital for the safety of our communities,” Bonta said in the press release. “In our efforts to retrieve guns from a prohibited individual, we found hundreds of allegedly illegal weapons and approximately one million rounds of ammunition. I am grateful for our Bureau of Firearms agents’ and local law enforcement partners' work in getting these illegal weapons out of the hands of this prohibited individual.”

State officers also found several grenades during the search of the man's home. They called in the Walnut Creek Police Department Bomb Squad and Travis Air Force Base Bomb Squad, who determined that the grenades were inert.

Related: SFPD Finds Large Haul of Guns and Drugs While Arresting Suspected Illegal Gun Suppliers In North Beach [SFist]

Image: State of California Department of Justice

There were three reported gun incidents in one day last month at SFUSD high schools, and today, some students staged a walkout over what they see as the district’s slow-footed response.

It probably should have made more news this past December 8 when, as the Chronicle noted at the time, three separate SFUSD students reportedly brought guns to San Francisco high schools, in incidents that happened at two separate schools. But it is making more news today. Since neither high school instituted a lockdown, nor issued any official statements until hours afterward, some students are miffed enough that they threatened a Friday school walkout, according to the Chronicle.

Washington High School student Audrey Parker, who was in class at Washington High when the December 8 incident occurred, said the lack of official communication led to rumor-mongering, which she tells the Chronicle “kind of set people off and made it a stressful situation.”

“It is really in my lifetime that this has been something to think about, something to worry about,” Parker added. “A lot of the policies haven’t really caught up. Districts and schools need to get with the times… to keep students safe in modern times and the current situation.”

The Washington High incident was set off, in the words of Superintendent Matt Wayne, when staff “received the report that a student was in possession of marijuana and the Dean conducted a search.” That search turned up two students with weapons, one with a BB gun, and the other with both a BB gun and a firearm. These were confiscated by staff, which Wane says “neutralized” the situation, hence no lockdown or immediate announcement.

The other incident was at Galileo High, where there were reports that a student had a firearm, but that student left campus once confronted. Police showed up on campus, but the presence of a gun was “never substantiated” according to Wayne, who added that “as a result of the swift and appropriate actions taken during the incidents, the threat of escalated danger was diffused and we were able to minimize disruption to the school day.”

These explanations may satisfy some, but students and parents are not pleased that some classrooms lack working public address speakers that would notify students and staff of these issues, and that 10% of classrooms do not have so-called “Columbine locks” that can lock a classroom from the inside.

We should note that some degree of walkout did happen Friday afternoon, though it was reportedly not that large (and the rain may have played a role in that). In a 2:15 p.m. update to their original article, the Chronicle noted that “A few dozen students, parents and teachers participated in the afternoon protest, which included a march from City Hall to the district’s central office.”

Related: Stabbing at SF Middle School Comes Amid Uptick In Violence at Local Schools [SFist]

Image: Wendy N. via Yelp

A man who was reportedly naked and having a mental health crisis was firing off a gun on New Year's Eve morning, and he was arrested and thankfully no one was struck by any of the bullets.

According to one account on social media, the man was naked during this incident, which occurred just before noon on Sunday on the 700 block of 41st Avenue, between Balboa and Cabrillo streets. The Chronicle confirmed the incident with the SFPD, but doesn't reveal where said social media post is (if anyone has it, please indicate in the comments).

The man was "suffering from apparent mental distress was holding a gun and fired several rounds," according to SFPD spokesperson Paulina Henderson. Multiple cars and at least one home were left with bullet holes in them before the suspect abandoned the gun the somewhere.

Arriving officers located the man (still naked?), still 41st Avenue, according to Henderson, though he wasn't armed. Officers later found a loaded gun in the area.

The 33-year-old man was briefly treated at a hospital for minor injuries before being booked in SF County Jail on suspicion of charges including illegal possession of a gun, vandalism, making criminal threats, negligent discharge of a firearm within city limits and shooting an inhabited dwelling.

The suspect has not yet been publicly identified, and no formal charges have been announced.

An SF man was arrested for firing shots at police on two occasions in January, and the ongoing investigation led SFPD to the North Beach home of an alleged gun supplier, and boy did they find guns and drugs while searching his residence.

It caused a huge uproar in the Marina back in January when a catalytic car theft resulted in an SFPD car chase of the suspects, who allegedly fired shots at SFPD officers in the area of McAllister and Arguello. It received less attention six days later when SFPD arrested 24-year-old Spencer Hansen-Mukomela in the Sunnydale neighborhood on suspicion of his being “involved in multiple shooting incidents,” and Hansen-Mukomela also fired shots at officers during that arrest. He was still successfully arrested and taken into custody.

But there are additional gun crimes suspected in that investigation, namely the nature how Hansen-Mukomela procured his guns. And KPIX reports SFPD arrested two suspects whom they thought were the illegal gun suppliers, and a search warrant turned up quite the array of guns and drugs, as seen above.

Police investigations led them to 39-year-old Craig Bolland of San Francisco as Hansen-Mukomela’s suspected gun supplier. SFPD spotted Bolland in North Beach on May 30, and he was accompanied by 36-year-old Jose Reyes. They detained both men, and one of them (it’s not named whom) was in possession of a ghost gun. So police served a search warrant on Bolland’s Green Street home, and turned up quite the trove of guns and drugs.

"The weapons included AR-15 style, rifle converted to fully automatic, AK-47 assault rifle, TEC-9 assault pistol, and other firearms,” SFPD said in their Tuesday morning announcement. “They also seized firearm accessories, ammunition, and other evidence related to the investigation.”    

Bollard faces charges of possession of a firearm by a prohibited person, being a felon in possession of ammunition, and possession charges for an assault weapon, controlled substances, a machine gun, and a short-barreled rifle. Reyes was booked on charges of charges of carrying a concealed firearm in a vehicle and carrying a loaded firearm in public. Both men remain in custody at SF County Jail

While the suspects are in custody, this remains an open investigation, and it sure seems SFPD may have more suspects in mind. If you have any information on this incident, you’re asked to call the SFPD tip line at 415-575-4444, or text a tip to TIP411 and begin the message with “SFPD.” Tipsters can remain anonymous.

Related: Four Alleged Gang Members Arrested, Including Three Teens, and Seven Guns Seized at Hunters Point Home [SFist]

Images via SFPD

In an out-of-the-blue move that indicates he’s still keen to build that national profile, Governor Gavin Newsom started a media blitz Thursday morning promoting a 28th Amendment campaign to promote popular but stalled gun control measures.

California Governor Gavin Newsom insists he is not running for president, though he qualifies that with the caveat that he’s not running in 2024. And we’ll take him at face value on that. But he’s obviously going out of his way to make himself more visible nationally, in ways that are strategic and shrewdly planned. It’s hard to ignore that dynamic as Newsom started an out-of-left-field campaign Thursday morning to propose a 28th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution that would tighten gun control laws nationwide and would aspire to reduce mass shootings, according to the Chronicle.  

Newsom made the announcement in a 5:30 a.m. Twitter video post Thursday morning. “Every time, it’s the same. They tell us we can’t stop these massacres,” Newsom says in the video. “They say we can’t stop domestic terrorism without violating the 2nd Amendment, and that thoughts and prayers are the best we can do. I’m here to say that’s a lie. In this country, we do have the power.”

This is clearly being carefully rolled out, as Newsom already had his appearance booked on the Today show this morning. This theoretical 28th Amendment would consist of four measures that are broadly popular with the public, but which the U.S. Congress has failed to enact. These include universal background checks, raising the minimum age to purchase a gun to 21 years old, adding a wait period to buy a gun, and banning assault-rifle sales to civilians — all while leaving the Second Amendment intact.

Yes Newsom is jumping out of his lane here, he’s a state governor proposing an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. But as Politico explains, there is a path, albeit an implausible one. “Newsom and the state Legislature in Sacramento are set to kickoff a nationwide process that would require support from 34 states to trigger a [constitutional] convention,” that site reports.

And that convention is almost certain to not happen, as Democrats currently control only 20 state legislatures at the moment. But Newsom can sure use this to draw a contrast in the many mass shootings that are sure to come, as he guarantees his spot as the go-to telegenic spokesperson who can say he’s trying to do something about this madness every time another mass shooting happens.

Newsom will likely get some over-the-top pushback (which he welcomes) from top conservatives who will say crime is out of control in California so Gavin Newsom is unqualified to speak on gun violence. But as an Associated Press report on KGO points out, “The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention lists California as having the 7th lowest gun mortality rate in the country per 100,000 residents,” and California is the “20th lowest in terms of homicide rate, which is not limited to shootings.”

Newsom is very fond contrasting these numbers to those of Texas and Florida.

And he will probably not hesitate to do so in his just-announced sit-down with Fox News’s Sean Hannity, scheduled for this coming Monday night.

Related: Supreme Court Overturns Concealed-Carry Gun Laws, California Officials Vow to Keep Limiting Guns in Public [SFist]

Screenshot via @GavinNewsom

Photo: Jared Erondu

California could become the first state in the nation to require gun owners to carry liability insurance for negligent or accidental use of the firearms they own, under a new bill just introduced in the state Senate.

It has been a rough January for gun violence, and not just in the state of California. The January 21 Monterey Park shooting and the Half Moon Bay shooting two days later were responsible for just a fraction of the 31 people shot and killed in California this month, according to the Gun Violence Archive, which also details that nationwide, 128 people were shot accidentally in the month of January.

Now KTVU reports that there’s a new bill before the state Senate to require gun owners to carry liability insurance. Co-authored by Berkeley state Senator Nancy Skinner, the bill would make California the first state in the nation to require gun owners to carry such insurance.  

"Guns are about the only thing that you can have ownership of, that you know can harm someone, yet there’s no insurance requirement," Skinner told KTVU.

The above screenshot details the proposed requirements, which go beyond “liability insurance that covers losses or damages resulting from negligent or accidental use of their firearm, including property, damage, injury or death.” The bill would also require gun owners to “obtain proof of gun insurance, keep that proof with their firearm, and produce it when asked by a peace officer.”

Critics point out, though, that this law might have limited effectiveness. "Criminals are not likely to buy gun insurance, and so putting the onus on the lawful gun owner to pay for all the ills associated with firearms, is being considered unfair," former Santa Clara County DA Steve Clark tells KTVU. "Analogizing gun insurance to car insurance is somewhat of a red herring because if you drove your car into a crowd of people, that would not be covered by insurance because it’s an intentional criminal act.”

The New York state Senate is considering a similar bill for that state, and the city of San Jose just enacted a gun insurance requirement on January 1 of this year. This particular California bill, co-authored by Skinner and Encinitas state Senator Catherine Blakespear, is still yet to have its first committee hearing.

Related: Supreme Court Overturns Concealed-Carry Gun Laws, California Officials Vow to Keep Limiting Guns in Public [SFist]

Image: thdef via Unsplash

One man near Sebastopol has installed a private shooting range on his property, and is making extensive and very loud use of it, and furious neighbors have tried enlisting the Sheriff’s Office, county supervisors, and attorneys, all to no avail.

We do not know the name of the Sonoma County man who installed a private shooting range on his Sebastopol-area property and has been driving neighbors berserk firing semi-automatic weapons, as described by KGO. But we know he's been doing this on his Barlow Lane property since around Memorial Day. (“Two days after the massacre at the Texas grade school, the shooting began,” one neighbor has notably complained to the Sonoma County Counsel.)

And according to the Santa Rosa Press Democrat’s account of the complaints of constant gunfire from the property, all of the shooting has been “generating Nextdoor posts with well over a hundred comments and an escalating dispute that now involves the County Board of Supervisors, the Permit & Resource Management Department, and the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office.”

Yet none of these bodies have been able to do anything about the gunfire. Because apparently, it’s all completely legal.

“We’ve been receiving a lot of calls lately about gunshots in your neighborhood,” the Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office posted on NextDoor, according to the Press Democrat. “County Code Section 19-A-5 allows shooting on private property as long as it meets safety standards, like distance from other houses … If you hear gunshots often, they’re likely coming from that property. While hearing the gunshots may be unwanted or concerning, this activity is allowed by County Code.”

The gun guy apparently keeps his private shooting range up to code, has it positioned properly away from surrounding properties, and consulted the proper authorities before installing the range.

“There’s nothing we can do at this point,” Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Juan Valencia told the Press Democrat. “We go out and investigate to see if they’re in compliance, and if they are, that’s their right to shoot on their property.”

This is no comfort to the neighbors, many of them elderly, some with terrified pets, and one a Korean War veteran experiencing PTSD.

"One mom said, ‘I had to convince my kids that someone wasn't coming to shoot them.’ That was the quote," according to neighbor Rob Danaher.

The neighbors have hired an attorney, and they’re targeting the county’s rule that does allow legal gunfire within 150 yards of “any building, dwelling house, camp, or other place where human beings inhabit, assemble, frequent, or pass, excepting publicly maintained roads.” The neighbors will argue this should include their yards, not just the structures of their homes, and therefore the shooting range would be disallowed.

And they apparently have another legal argument not yet disclosed. "We have two local ordinances here where we believe a plain reading of them we have a clear violation," their attorney Pamela Stevens told KGO.

Related: Monterey Sheriffs Question Assault Suspect, Find 80 Firearms and 50,000 Rounds of Ammo [SFist]

Image: 20th Century Fox

Hours after the Trump-packed Supreme Court struck down states’ rights to limit the carrying of firearms in public, Gavin Newsom and Attorney General Rob Bonta insisted California’s concealed-carry law will remain in effect, and could even expand.

Not even one month after the Uvalde, Texas school shooting took 21 lives, the Supreme Court merely chortled and then wiped children’s blood off their shoes with Citizens United money. In a stunning yet totally predictable 6-3 decision, the court announced it ruling Thursday that states cannot limit the right to carry concealed firearms in public, according to NBC News. While all states allow concealed-carry, this particular suit challenged New York state’s law that required a permit. “Thursday's decision casts doubt on laws similar to New York’s in several other states, including California,” NBC News explained.

But the Chronicle reports that both Governor Gavin Newsom and state Attorney General Rob Bonta insisted California’s concealed-carry laws would remain in effect, and that they are even “working on new legislation to tighten the state’s concealed-carry law.”

In the Supreme Court’s ruling, Judge Clarence Thomas (of course) wrote that “in six States, including New York, the government further conditions issuance of a license to carry on a citizen’s showing of some additional special need. Because the State of New York issues public-carry licenses only when an applicant demonstrates a special need for self-defense, we conclude that the State’s licensing regime violates the Constitution.”

But AG Bonta quickly responded with a Sacramento press conference. “We’ve been preparing for this moment, this Supreme Court decision, for months,” Bonta said Thursday, adding that states “still have the right to limit concealed-carry permits to those who may safely possess firearms.”

The new California bill expanding concealed-carry limits has not been introduced yet, nor is its text available. But according to the Chronicle, “Bonta said it would expand restrictions by banning concealed firearms in more public places, potentially including parks, sports venues, amusement parks and other large gathering spaces.”

Most rural California counties do allow the carrying of a concealed firearm with a permit, the permits are harder to get in counties with large cities. Californians were able to carry loaded guns anywhere they pleased up until 1967, when the governor signed the Mulford Act and said there was "no reason why on the street today a citizen should be carrying loaded weapons."

That governor was… Are you sitting down?… Ronald Reagan.

Related: Third Suspect Booked in Connection to Sacramento Mass Shooting [SFist]

Image: @usualmorals via Unsplash

It's not clear why the FBI would have been investigating sideshows in Oakland, or if the Oakland PD just handed the case off. But an investigation into illegal sideshows in Oakland led directly to a man federal prosecutors say was selling ghost guns.

Federal prosecutors say that 26-year-old Roy Montoya of Oakland was using Instagram to help sell unserialized ghost guns, and he's been charged with unlicensed firearm dealing — which can come with a sentence of up to 10 years. He was arrested and charged in April, but since has been let out of jail pending trial.

As the East Bay Times reports, Montoya was released on an unsecured $50,000 bond in May against the objections of prosecutors, who called him a serious flight risk. U.S. Magistrate Judge Donna Ryu ordered the release.

Montoya already tried to flee to Mexico once, booking a one-way ticket after federal authorities raided his home in mid-April, but he was arrested before he could get on a plane.

Investigators were alerted to Montoya's alleged business dealings via a now defunct Instagram account called "COUPESGOINGCRAZY" which posted images from sideshows. It's not clear if the Oakland Police Department may have been doing the initial investigating, or how this came about, since it doesn't seem like the FBI should have been interested in sideshow crackdowns — unless there was some larger car theft ring or something they were after.

Investigators uncovered DMs or "discussions" on Instagram between the sideshow account and one called "HAZELPEWPEW" which allegedly belonged to Montoya.

They then say they found other exchanges Montoya had on the platform, and charging documents says that he discussed smuggling ghost guns to Mexico.

Montoya allegedly discussed the growing demand in Mexico for "Glock handguns, AR-15 style firearms, Draco pistols" and AK-47s, and he reportedly wrote in one exchange, about driving across the border, "Ima vacuum seal everything and stash it in the gas tank."

Investigators also say they found a photo on Montoya's phone of "an assault rifle equipped with a grenade launcher."

The raid on his Oakland home found numerous gun parts and ammunition, as well as two ghost guns, a pistol and a machine gun rifle.

The case comes amid numerous crackdowns around the country on ghost guns. Last year, now outgoing San Francisco DA Chesa Boudin launched his own initiative to go after the sellers of ghost gun parts online. And Attorney General Merrick Garland has his own effort underway to ban the sale of ghost gun kits under a federal rule change, but the process of making that change will take time.

Photo via U.S. District Court for Northern California