LEGISLATURE TARGETS SAC COUNTY SHERIFF – FOR KEEPING HIS PROMISE

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones

Sacramento County Sheriff Scott Jones is one of those very unique elected officials who has kept a campaign promise:  he pledged to approve more concealed carry handgun permits than his predecessors.

And boy, has he delivered, raising the total number of permits held in Sacramento County from about 350 in 2010 to a current number that totals roughly 8,000.

But this has not been without controversy.  He has been called irresponsible, and members of the legislature have gone so far as to say he dispenses CCW permits “like Halloween candy.”

Last year, political nemesis and fellow Sacramentan Assemblyman Kevin McCarty introduced a bill (AB 450/2016) to lift the cap on CCW fees because he alleged that some authorities (Sheriff Jones) were charging “inadequate fees” to cover the cost of issuing and overseeing the permits.

How many ways can we spell Big Fat LIE?

Even anti-gun Governor Brown saw through McCarty’s dishonesty and refused to sign the bill when it reached his desk, going so far to say in his veto message “This bill was spurred by a local dispute in one county. I am unaware of a larger problem that merits a statewide change at this time…”

GOC finds it almost amusing that McCarty was concerned with the fees charged for something he is devoted to eliminating – which is an individuals’ right to carry a concealed weapon. This was nothing more than a smoke-and-mirrors attempt to insert the state into decisions made by local law enforcement.

Now McCarty is going after Sheriff Jones and his CCW policies again – but is taking a different route.

Last week, the Joint Legislative Audit Committee (JLAC) approved an audit request by McCarty to “evaluate the negative fiscal impacts and public safety questions raised by Concealed Carry Weapon (CCW) license programs in the state.”

Although the counties of San Diego and Los Angeles have been included in the audit request in order to give McCarty some sort of thinly-veiled political cover, it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that the bulls eye is centered firmly on Sheriff Jones’ back.

At the JLAC hearing, McCarty’s opening statement charged that CCW costs are being subsidized by county taxpayers, but the Sheriff responded that he “was by all media accounts a large part of his [McCarty’s] motivation, if not the only motivation…”

Assemblyman Kevin McCarty

“While I understand and appreciate that reasonable minds can differ, on whether CCWs should be issued and under what standards, those things are very well laid out in the statute…Those statutes are intentionally left subjective so that the issuing authority in Sacramento County, that largely is myself can make appropriate determinations based on the people that they answer to, their constituency. That’s why you have some jurisdictions that are very restrictive in their issuance, and some jurisdictions that are very permissive in their jurisdictions.”

Sheriff Jones then pointed to McCarty’s comments regarding the supposed “shortfall” of county dollars, stating “he indicated that we in that department had a budget shortfall because of the CCW process…that simply isn’t true….It is a mandated process that I have to take and accept as many applications as I get. I have no control over who, or how many applications I get, but as far as the budget shortfall… at the end of last fiscal year I gave back to the county $500,000 to the general fund that I came in at, under budget, which more than doubled the amount of the so-called shortfall…my budget is almost $460 million. To suggest that $240,000 is justification to authorize the audit, especially when I gave back over double that at the end of the year… I think this is misplaced and an unwise use of state resources.

We agree.  The audit request was approved by the Democrat majority in spite of fact-based and articulate testimony from the Sheriff as well as the 2nd Amendment community.  To watch the full hearing, click here.

Help us stand up to the bullies in the Legislature.  This is a politically motivated personal vendetta and it should make our blood boil.  And guess what?  At the end of the day, we taxpayers are going to foot the bill for the audit, which is expected to be completed in 6 months.  We will keep you posted…

 

 

 

 

7 Comments

  1. Sharlene Plescia on April 5, 2017 at 3:08 pm

    I have since moved but I had a CCW in Sacramento County when I lived there. I believe that Scott Jones agrees with us that law abiding citizens have the CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to defend themselves and he is one of few in any political forum who has kept his promise. Because of that, I will do whatever it takes to stand by Sheriff Jones and fight this personal vendetta against lawful citizens who exercise their CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHT to arm themselves. I am in support of laws that make sense and actually reduce crime, however, if California continues on the path to disarm their citizens by creating laws that have absolutely NO EFFECT on reducing crime, then I, along with probably half the country, WILL NOT COMPLY.



  2. Michael Sharber on April 5, 2017 at 4:34 pm

    McCarty is doing nothing to help California. So to keep his name in headlines he’s doing an end run around trying to make something out of nothing! He continues to try to be the nanny no one wants! He is part of the reason CA is sinking because of bad choices. Again. And again!



  3. Cathy Devlin on April 5, 2017 at 5:15 pm

    I live in Sacramento County and am in support of the Sheriff. I find McCarthy’s actions shameful.



  4. Garth on April 7, 2017 at 10:06 am

    Sounds like McKarty is missing the fact that 8,000 CCW permits generated revenue. Without the 8,000 CCW, there would be zero CCW revenue at all. A $200,000 shortfall in any county budget is typically acceptable and routine.



  5. Dennis Serbu on April 7, 2017 at 6:54 pm

    My experience is nearly every anti gun politician is dirty somehow. Lets dig in identify and send them to jail. Senator Yee was only the tip of the iceberg.



  6. Travis Shiell on July 21, 2017 at 9:31 pm

    what we gain we need to keep fighting to keep. weather it comes from none trained or trained exsperianced poeple hew give us the right to do so. If were giving the right we still have power if someone tries to take it.



  7. Shanie B on September 21, 2017 at 2:53 pm

    It is crazy that a good Sacramento Sheriff is being targeted by a politician