Gun Owners PAC Reveal Why They’re Voting For a Democrat for Sheriff

By Michael Schwartz

I’ve been asked countless times about November’s election for San Diego County Sheriff. Who is the best candidate? Who should I vote for? Kelly Martinez or John Hemmerling?

As executive director for San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO), a political action committee (PAC), our mission is to promote Second Amendment (2A) rights in San Diego County. Our 3,400 members endorse pro-Second Amendment candidates who will speak-out and defend the fundamental right to self defense for law-abiding citizens.

We oppose an extremist anti-gun agenda and stand strong in support of our civil rights. In addition, we are involved in outreach against candidates who want to infringe on our freedoms.

Electing the right leaders is the most effective way to restore and preserve our Second Amendment rights. Our members actively support candidates, regardless of party affiliation, who are committed to restore and protect our rights in California.

Therefore, SDCGO has proudly endorsed San Diego County Undersheriff Kelly Martinez for the upcoming election (her job as undersheriff makes her second-in-command to the elected sheriff). The race for San Diego County Sheriff is one of the largest races in the county because every county resident is eligible to vote.

There are two main issues at stake: CCWs and GVROs.

Concealed weapon permits, commonly called “CCWs” (CCW stands for concealed-carry weapon), allow gun owners to carry firearms for personal protection. In California, a county sheriff or police chief has direct authority over issuing CCWs. The Sheriff’s race is important because of its local impact on the right to bear arms.

SDCGO was enormously effective at getting the former sheriff to change his policy so that anyone can qualify and obtain a CCW by following the same procedure as other counties follow. Fortunately, unlike her predecessor, Martinez has been unapologetically vocal in her support of the Second Amendment and vowed to continue the Sheriff’s Department ongoing practice of issuing CCWs.

Also, Martinez agrees with our concerns about a new policy known as Gun Violence Restraining Orders (GVRO), which allows authorities to take away firearms from people not convicted of a crime.

While it is already standard practice to remove guns from suspects who are caught by law enforcement officers committing a violent crime, GVROs, also called “red flag laws,” lower the standards for taking away firearms so that accusations by disgruntled co-workers, roommates, neighbors and ex-spouses can result in the removal of firearms from people who aren’t convicted of a crime. Accusations, not convictions, can start the accused down an expensive legal road of having to clear their name and get their self-defense tools returned to them.

In his previous career with the San Diego City Attorney’s office, Hemmerling was praised for his aggressiveness at confiscating hundreds of firearms from law-abiding citizens. Hemmerling has given speeches at anti-gun rallies. He has been zealous in helping other jurisdictions set up GVRO programs. He has trained law enforcement agencies across the state on the legalities of GVROs.

When asked about why he supports such an extremist, anti-gun owner policy, he tried to make the case that gun-grabbing is actually good for gun owners and will protect them. But the truth is that Hemmerling is a gun-grabber. Hemmerling is not good for gun owners.

Also, SDCGO is discouraged by the San Diego Republican Central Committee’s endorsement of Hemmerling without proper vetting and without regard to his anti-Second Amendment history. Party leaders rushed to endorse a sub-par candidate and guaranteed loser without lengthy input from gun owners. As a result, they alienated an entire voting block of Second Amendment supporters and sent a horrible message to people who support and care about the Second Amendment.

In our opinion, Hemmerling is an anti-gun candidate with no other major endorsements, has never won an election, was not a Republican a year ago, has no history of helping Republicans and has no experience that comes close to running an organization as large as the sheriff’s office.

On election night, SDCGO will take credit for standing for our principles and revealing the falsehoods and true character of Hemmerling. I have personally met numerous times with Kelly, who has been amazingly responsive and helpful. I have been impressed by her views on liberty, the role of law enforcement and adherence to the U.S. Constitution.

SDCGO is proud to endorse Kelly Martinez as San Diego County’s top law enforcement officer. With 37 years of experience with the sheriff’s office, she has proven to be a friend of the gun owner community in San Diego. Her experience includes investigations, gang units and the intelligence division. We are impressed with her transparency, her statement of intended CCW policy and procedures, and her eagerness to follow the law without penalizing law-abiding citizens. This is why we’re endorsing Kelly Martinez for San Diego County Sheriff.

-- Michael Schwartz is executive director of San Diego County Gun Owners, a political action committee.