There are currently two candidates for San Diego County Sheriff. The Republican incumbent, Sheriff Bill Gore, has a highly restrictive CCW issuance policy that basically amounts to a ban. His Democratic challenger, Commander David Myers, has expressed an interest in issuing more permits to law-abiding, trained applicants.
For an individual to be issued a CCW the State has many requirements, including, but not limited to passing a criminal background check, completing a class, and stating a “good cause”. The state leaves the definition of “good cause” to each sheriff or law enforcement official issuing a CCW permit. Sheriff Gore chooses to make it impossible for a law-abiding, trained applicant to obtain a CCW using “self-defense” or “personal protection” as their good cause.
Our survey focused on how much CCW policy and political party affiliation matter in a race for San Diego County Sheriff. The respondents tend to be highly engaged in Second Amendment issues so the results are not reflective of the general population of San Diego County nor can they be extrapolated across the entire voting population. However, the survey results show it does benefit Myers’ campaign as a Democrat to reverse Gore’s CCW ban to a policy that is more inclusive and falls in line with most other California counties and the rest of the country.
San Diego County is split between registered Republicans and Democrats so a Democratic Party candidate who can win the vote of Republicans focused on CCW policies is a possible path to victory. Our results suggest that Sheriff Gore’s CCW ban does not help him get votes in his own party and is an issue important enough to Republicans that it does not stop voters from crossing party lines. It also looks to be a problem for Gore when trying to sway party-undeclared voters.
On Sunday, June 4, Myers was a guest on 1170AM Gun Sports Radio and was asked about his CCW policies if elected in 2018. He was asked, “if a CCW applicant passes their criminal background check, it’s confirmed they are not under investigation, and they complete the required safety and firearms law class…as sheriff, will you issue them a CCW using personal protection or self-defense as their good cause?” Myers answered, “absolutely yes” adding “I am at odds with Bill Gore’s flawed and tortured attempt to deny law-abiding citizens the right to self-protection and he literally has wasted millions of taxpayers’ dollars trying to fight law-abiding citizens when he should be spending that money, say, combating hate-crime which has tripled.”
Myers’ full interview can be heard here: http://sandiegocountygunowners.com/podcasts/
The results from the 744 respondents are found below.
Male/Female: 85.74% male.
Membership:
61.03% were members of SDCGO.
Age:
Less than 1% were 20 or less
6.04% were 21 to 29
14.91% were 30 to 39
24.59% were 40 to 49
24.86% were 50 to 59
27.68% were 60 or over
Income:
12.01% make $35,000 to $49,999
10.46% make $50,000 to 74,999
14.21% make $75,000 to $99,999
23.52% make $100,000 to $149,999
28.94% make $150,000 or more
Party Affiliation:
Republican 68.34%
Libertarian 4.78%
Democratic 3.48%
Undeclared 16.02%
How important is a candidate’s position on issuing CCWs (concealed carry permits) when deciding your vote for San Diego County Sheriff?
Not important at all: less than 1% (2 people total)
Somewhat important: 9.00%
Very important: 89.11%
Would you vote for a candidate for San Diego County Sheriff who REFUSES to issue CCWs using self-defense/personal protection to meet the State’s requirement of “good cause”?
No: 90.86%
Yes: 7.66%
Would you vote for a candidate for San Diego County Sheriff who issues CCWs using self-defense/personal protection to meet the State’s requirement of “good cause” even if they did not share your political party affiliation?
No: 6.31%
Yes: 91.80%
Founded in 2015, the San Diego County Gun Owners is a registered political action committee (FPPC ID #1379388) and advocacy organization focused on organizing the gun industry and community and protecting the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment right to bear arms. In its first full year of operation, SDCGO said it raised more than $200,000 through sponsorship and membership dues, which range from $20 per month to $1,000 annually. The PAC provides news and information on new gun laws and Second Amendment advocacy. Its sponsored events include gun safety classes, small gun shows, sporting clay shoots, social gatherings and pistol, rifle and shotgun experiences taught by professional instructors. For more information, visit www.sandiegocountygunowners.com.