USCCA ENDORSES BILL HUNT

Gun Rights Roundup
by Uli Gebhard

USCCA Armed American Report ISSUE 195

NOTE: The USCCA would like to wish Mr. Bill Hunt the best of luck in his run for Sheriff of Orange County, California. He has our fullest endorsement!

Orange County, CA had to deal with an appointed Sheriff for almost two y ears. Her experience stems from the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department – one of the most CCW-restrictive agencies in the nation. Barely in office Sandra Hutchens went on a reckless mission to revoke, restrict and deny renewal on hundreds of legitimately issued concealed carry permits.


I’ve written in depth about this situation in previous newsletters and there is no need to repeat it all. Key is that two years ago three county supervisors made a tremendous error in judgment. With Election Day on June 8 rapidly approaching, we finally have the opportunity to undo the harm that their decision has brought to our community.


Late last year, former Orange County Sheriff’s Lieutenant Bill Hunt announced his candidacy. He has since moved vigorously to challenge the incumbent appointed administrator.


Another candidate is Craig Hunter, Deputy Chief of the Anaheim PD. I applaud him for his stance on concealed carry and the issues listed on his website. However, he is not direct and to the point like Bill Hunt and has no insight into the OCSD. I also do not see him having the connection to the constituents that Bill Hunt has. Therefore, I will not go into further details about him.


Endorsements and current events point to Mrs. Hutchens and Bill Hunt as the key candidates.


Let’s take a look at their history with the OCSD, accomplishments and last but not least, their endorsements.


Two Years after the appointment: A trail of problems
1.Sandra Hutchens’ tried to conceal the full extend of her CCW revocation sweep in an attempt to create facts, without updating the County Supervisors.


2.She claimed that state law mandated this approach. Attorney at law Chuck Michel, who has an extensive background in firearms law, prove this statement to be false.


3.She ignored the massive protests and complaints from constituents and county Supervisors alike.


4.She and her imported command staff, namely Ex-LAPD Mike Hillman, tried to intimidate concerned CCW supporters by sending an overbearing police presence to the next Board of Supervisors meeting.


5.Interestingly enough Mike Hillman was laid off late last year. What Sandra Hutchens claims to be cost saving measures could well be an approach to remove a potential liability.


All of these points leave me with the impression of a very dishonest person who has done absolutely nothing to communicate her intentions clearly. Not to the supervisors that appointed her, nor to her constituents.


Two Years after the appointment: no achievements – no plans
After two years, Sandra Hutchens has very little results, if any, to present.
1.She failed to meet her budgetary requirements.


2.Past due improvements in the county jail have not been accomplished.


3.With the CCW holders and their supporters, a large group of constituents has been alienated and now holds deep reservations towards the Sheriff’s department.


4.The County Supervisors seem to be deeply frustrated with her and her way of running business.


5.Other than neighboring Los Angeles County, over 400 “Low Risk” inmates were released early to cut costs. Less CCW’s and more criminals that are back on the street – thank you very much!


6.Sandra Hutchens’ website does not show any clear plans or strategies for the future of the Department, just two general statements – that’s all.


No Endorsements from the Supervisors who appointed her
The consequences of these actions are visible in her campaign endorsements. High-ranking Police officers backing her come from counties with a long anti-CCW history: Los Angeles and San Diego . Most interestingly, none of the supervisors that appointed her are supporting her efforts to get elected – not even the John Moorlach, who backed her in the board meetings that I attended endorsed her. This fact alone bears a significant amount of weight.


Meanwhile several USCCA Members who are either active or retired Peace Officers characterized her as a “Disgrace to Law Enforcement”.


The list of her supporters is still quite long, mostly City Counsel members or state assembly members who have long since established their stance against the second amendment of the United States constitution.


Bill Hunt: A successful career in the OCSD
While these politicians have decided to see the Constitution as a pick & choose menu, former OCSD Lieutenant Bill Hunt bases his campaign on coming back to this document and applying it without reservations or restrictions.


In a stark contrast to Mrs. Hutchens, Bill Hunt communicates in a manner that is clear and to the point. One of the speakers in a recent campaign event, a former U.S. Army intelligence officer, characterized Bill Hunt as a person that instantly conveys a demeanor of honesty and integrity. After talking with Mr. Hunt on previous occasions, I can confirm this assessment.


1.Bill Hunt has been a sworn officer with the Orange County Sheriff’s Department for 21 years.


2.He has worked his way through the vast majority of departments inside the OCSD, including jail, patrol, SWAT and narcotics.


3.Bill Hunt’s final assignment as a Lieutenant was as Chief of Police of San Clemente where he managed a department budget of more than $9 million.


4.In 2006 Bill Hunt pointed out mismanagement and corruption inside the top levels of the Orange County Sheriff’s Dept. While many of these accusations have since been proven true, his outspoken engagement led to his being forced to retire from the police force later in that year.


Bill Hunt has the endorsement of the Orange County Deputies
His honest and upstanding nature earned him the trust of the Orange County Deputies who endorsed him in his campaign.
1.Six police officers associations are endorsing him as well as the National Veterans Coalition.


2.He also has the endorsement of Assemblyman Chris Norby, who was County Supervisor in 2008 and one of the outspoken opponents against the appointment of Sandra Hutchens.


Multiple other local groups support Bill Hunt, among others Safe OC, a group founded to support a pro-CCW candidate.


Four of the most noteworthy individuals endorsing Bill Hunt in his campaign are:
1.Suzanna Hupp, survivor of the massacre at Luby’s Diner who subsequently played a crucial role in changing the CCW policy in Texas.


2.John Lott, Ph.D., author of “More guns, less crime”


3.Sheriff Joe Arpaio is well-known for his out-of-the box approaches to deal with criminals and illegal immigrants.


4.Sheriff Richard Mack (ret.)


Clear and common-sense plans
Bill Hunt has also very clear and to-the-point plans on how to improve efficiency of the Department and hold criminals fully accountable for their actions. It would go way beyond this article to list them all. They all make sense.


To summarize things: On one hand we have an appointed administrator with a long list of failures in her not quite two years in office. Her performance is so poor that not even the supervisors who appointed her endorse her.


On the other hand we have Bill Hunt who stood up against a corrupt Sheriff and paid for it with his career. He is a candidate who has the deputies of the department as well as many others in the region behind him.


As far as clear, efficient, forward-oriented plans are concerned, there is no comparison: Bill Hunt has a detailed approach – Mrs. Hutchens has no plans to speak of.


Bill Hunt’s Statement “The Sheriff should be in the business of protecting people’s rights, not restricting them.” shows very clearly where he stands when it comes to working with and for the people of our county.


Ladies, Gents, I sincerely believe that Bill Hunt can win this election and lead the Orange County Sheriff’s Department with the integrity and honor that it has been missing for so long. He has my full support.


Do not take my word for the positions that Bill Hunt is taking. Review his website and judge for yourself.


We still need lots of support to win this election. If you are local, you can volunteer. For those in other counties and states, there are many other ways to help.


My thanks go out to all USCCA members who have already put their efforts to work when the CCW revocation surfaced almost two years ago. Your e-mails, calls, letters and faxes to our Supervisors made a difference! If you can, help us one more time building up momentum and getting Bill Hunt elected – a man who wants to work for the people of this county.


Uli Gebhard is a mechanical engineer and firearms instructor in the Orange County and Bakersfield areas. Find out more about Uli on his website.