OrangeCountyCCW
04-20-2009, 10:36 PM
BREAKING NEWS: The Republican Party of Orange County Central Committee, on a vote of 41 to 14, approved a slightly modified resolution tonight "opposing" appointed Sheriff Hutchens' CCW policy and expressing support for AB 357, which would make California a "shall issue" state.
The original resolution, approved 7-0 by the Resolutions Committee, would have expressed "no confidence" in Hutchens' CCW policy. Committee Member Anna Bryson moved to replace the resolution with a strongly watered-down version. This attempt failed when a motion to table Ms. Bryson's replacement carried. Party Chairman Scott Baugh then moved to amend the original resolution to delete seven words including the "no confidence" language, replacing them with the single word, "oppose." After much debate, Chairman Baugh's amendment carried, and then the resolution as amended was approved 41 to 14.
Numerous Committee members spoke in favor of and against the resolution. Member Bruce Whitaker, who spearheaded the original resolution in the Resolutions Committee, spoke passionately in favor of it, while Member Don Daucher, a law professor, argued against.
Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson vehemently defended appointed Sheriff Hutchens' policy -- even to the point of likening Hutchens' to "Lady Justice" and saying that appeals to the Second Amendment, while they might make one feel "warm like Pat Nixon's wool coat" were really "the cloak of Darth Vader." (Direct quotes.) Anderson hypocritically discussed the internal workings of the Sheriff's Department when it suited his comments, and then barked loudly when a Committee Member mentioned his status as Assistant Sheriff, "I am NOT here as Assistant Sheriff tonight but as a member of this body!" When one speaker mentioned that a Federal Flight Deck Officer had his CCW permit restricted by Hutchens, Anderson proudly related that the pilot's license had been subjected to limiting terms allowing him to carry only to and from his employment -- as if this was something to be commended. (One wonders why, in the minds of Hutchens and Anderson, a pilot is trusted to carry a firearm to and from the airport, but magically becomes untrustworthy and unsafe when going to the bank, grocery store or office.) As his final comment, Anderson directly attacked supporters of CCW in broad and accusatory terms, telling the Committee, "you are being gamed" and claiming that the resolution was the work of a small group of agitators "angry that they no longer have influence with the Department." Anderson even claimed that CCW supporters "have a candidate in their pocket -- Mike Schroeder met with that candidate last week" -- as if groundswell and outcry against Hutchens' arbitrary restriction of CCW could not possibly be the result of honest concern for personal safety and freedom.
The Committee, thankfully, was not swayed by Anderson's remarks, and overwhelmingly expressed opposition to Hutchens' CCW policies. Supporters of CCW were out in force at the meeting, while our appointed Sheriff was not present. Conversations with staffers revealed that while several elected officials on the Committee received phone calls urging them to vote in favor of the resolution, the only written communication by a pro-CCW group they received was the letter sent by the SAFE OC political action committee.
Tonight's resolution marks a victory in the fight against Hutchens' restrictive CCW policy, but it is only the beginning. As tonight's debate showed, many in the Orange County Republican Party support Hutchens and misunderstand the import of CCW. Much work remains to be done to educate elected officials and the public, bring this issue before the County's political organizations, build a base of support for Hutchens' ouster, and identify and support an alternative candidate for Sheriff who will make a written pledge to restore liberal CCW issuance in Orange County.
The original resolution, approved 7-0 by the Resolutions Committee, would have expressed "no confidence" in Hutchens' CCW policy. Committee Member Anna Bryson moved to replace the resolution with a strongly watered-down version. This attempt failed when a motion to table Ms. Bryson's replacement carried. Party Chairman Scott Baugh then moved to amend the original resolution to delete seven words including the "no confidence" language, replacing them with the single word, "oppose." After much debate, Chairman Baugh's amendment carried, and then the resolution as amended was approved 41 to 14.
Numerous Committee members spoke in favor of and against the resolution. Member Bruce Whitaker, who spearheaded the original resolution in the Resolutions Committee, spoke passionately in favor of it, while Member Don Daucher, a law professor, argued against.
Assistant Sheriff Jack Anderson vehemently defended appointed Sheriff Hutchens' policy -- even to the point of likening Hutchens' to "Lady Justice" and saying that appeals to the Second Amendment, while they might make one feel "warm like Pat Nixon's wool coat" were really "the cloak of Darth Vader." (Direct quotes.) Anderson hypocritically discussed the internal workings of the Sheriff's Department when it suited his comments, and then barked loudly when a Committee Member mentioned his status as Assistant Sheriff, "I am NOT here as Assistant Sheriff tonight but as a member of this body!" When one speaker mentioned that a Federal Flight Deck Officer had his CCW permit restricted by Hutchens, Anderson proudly related that the pilot's license had been subjected to limiting terms allowing him to carry only to and from his employment -- as if this was something to be commended. (One wonders why, in the minds of Hutchens and Anderson, a pilot is trusted to carry a firearm to and from the airport, but magically becomes untrustworthy and unsafe when going to the bank, grocery store or office.) As his final comment, Anderson directly attacked supporters of CCW in broad and accusatory terms, telling the Committee, "you are being gamed" and claiming that the resolution was the work of a small group of agitators "angry that they no longer have influence with the Department." Anderson even claimed that CCW supporters "have a candidate in their pocket -- Mike Schroeder met with that candidate last week" -- as if groundswell and outcry against Hutchens' arbitrary restriction of CCW could not possibly be the result of honest concern for personal safety and freedom.
The Committee, thankfully, was not swayed by Anderson's remarks, and overwhelmingly expressed opposition to Hutchens' CCW policies. Supporters of CCW were out in force at the meeting, while our appointed Sheriff was not present. Conversations with staffers revealed that while several elected officials on the Committee received phone calls urging them to vote in favor of the resolution, the only written communication by a pro-CCW group they received was the letter sent by the SAFE OC political action committee.
Tonight's resolution marks a victory in the fight against Hutchens' restrictive CCW policy, but it is only the beginning. As tonight's debate showed, many in the Orange County Republican Party support Hutchens and misunderstand the import of CCW. Much work remains to be done to educate elected officials and the public, bring this issue before the County's political organizations, build a base of support for Hutchens' ouster, and identify and support an alternative candidate for Sheriff who will make a written pledge to restore liberal CCW issuance in Orange County.