Although self-defense civil rights advocacy groups have not taken an official position on Steve Cooley as a candidate for Attorney General of the State of California, the choice is obvious. In my personal experience defending hundreds of citizens accused of violating California’s hyper-technical gun laws, as District Attorney for the County of Los Angeles Steve Cooley has been reasonable and fair in administering the criminal firearm cases that I have litigated through the Los Angeles County court system. And he has refused to be recruited into the ranks of politicians passing feel-good-do-nothing gun control laws. Through his policies, Steve Cooley has reflected an understanding of the complexity of California gun control laws, an understanding for how easy it is to inadvertently violate one of these laws, a resistance to politicizing the prosecutorial process and sympathy for good people caught up by ill-conceived laws that do nothing to fight violent crime.

But even if he was much worse on these issues, the choice would still be obvious. As the points made below should clearly demonstrate, if elected as Attorney General, Kamala Harris would be a Second Amendment civil right advocate’s nightmare. She has absolutely no respect for the right to choose to own a firearm to defend yourself or your family, and no sympathy for those good people inadvertently snared by bad gun control laws.

VOTE FOR STEVE COOLEY ON NOVEMBER 2, 2010
THE ONLY CHOICE FOR CALIFORNIA ATTORNEY GENERAL

IF YOU BELIEVE IN THE SECOND AMENDMENT,
YOU DO NOT WANT SAN FRANCISCO DA KAMALA HARRIS
AS ATTORNEY GENERAL!

An abridged version of this post, in flyer format, can be printed out here for distribution at gun shows, shooting ranges, gun stores, etc. Help spread the word!

WHAT KAMALA HARRIS HAS DONE TO HURT GUN OWNERS:

▸ Recruited other District Attorneys and filed an amicus brief in the United States Supreme Court in D.C. v. Heller arguing that the Second Amendment does NOT protect a fundamental individual civil right. She then dismissed the importance of the ruling in Heller, twice stating that it created a “new right” to bear arms.

Sources: Press Release, San Francisco District Attorney Kamala D. Harris Sworn into Second Term in Office by U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein: Crack Down on Illegal Guns Centerpieces of DA Harris’ Second Term (available at http://www.sfdistrictattorney.org/News.asp?id=386 (text of brief available at http://www.nraila.org/heller/conamic...attorneys.pdf; video footage of Harris’s comments on the brief available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-G1VGJBWcU); Kamala D. Harris, CLE Focus Column: Under the Gun, Daily J. (June 2009) (available at http://www.dailyjournal.com/cle.cfm?...=902646&evid=1).

▸ Supported San Francisco’s Proposition H civilian handgun possession ban, the most far-reaching civilian handgun ban in the nation. Only a lawsuit stopped it from happening.

▸ Instituted a “zero tolerance” charging policy for all gun crimes, even minor and inadvertent violations. Ensnared good people in a web of complex gun control laws and seeks prosecution of their “crimes” to the fullest. She said that “[i]f you carry an illegal gun in the city of San Francisco and your case is brought to my office, you are going to spend time in jail. Period.” Her charging policy included: opposing the release of defendants on their own recognizance for all gun crimes; recommending that anyone convicted of carrying a concealed or loaded weapon be sentenced to a minimum of 90 days in jail; charging all cases involving possession of an “assault weapon” as felonies; and requesting ridiculously higher bail amount in gun crimes.

Sources: Joe Garofoli, D.A. Vows to Go After Gun Law Violators: Harris Takes Tough Approach, Pledges Maximum Penalties, S.F. Gate (May 29, 2004) (available at http://articles.sfgate.com/2004-05-2...s-gun-violence).

▸ Sponsored a San Francisco ordinance requiring gun owners to keep their handguns in a locked container or disabled with a trigger lock in their own homes making them useless for immediate self-defense! And said that “[j]ust because you legally possess a gun in the sanctity of your locked home doesn’t mean that we’re not going to walk into that home and check to see if you’re being responsible and safe in the way that you conduct your affairs.”

Sources: Cecilia M. Vega, Mayor Offers Package of Gun Control Laws: He Seeks to Prohibit Firearms Possession on City Property, S.F. Gate (May 16, 2007) (available at http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-05-1...-gun-related); Press Release, Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris Unveil New Firearms Legislation (May 16, 2007) (available at http://www.sfmayor.org/archives/Pres...s_2007_60643); Simon Perez, CBS 5, Politics, San Francisco Proposes New Gun Control Measures, http://cbs5.com/politics/san.francis....2.455726.html (posted May 16, 2007, 10:50 p.m. PST).

▸ Named “Distinguished Leader of 2008" by the Legal Community Against Violence, a leading gun ban advocacy group.

Sources: http://www.linkedin.com/in/kamalaharris.

▸ Called for the repeal of the Tiahrt Amendment, which prevents the release of confidential law enforcement data on firearms traces, protecting gun owner’s sensitive information, ongoing investigations, and the lives of law enforcement officers. She wants the gun ban lobby to be able to misuse this information to file frivolous claims against the gun industry for the criminal misuse of its products.

Sources: Heather Knight, Mayors Fight Gun Measure, S.F. Gate (June 19, 2007) (available at http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-06-1...t-illegal-guns) (video footage of Harris discussing the law available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nbr3lboHGw0).

▸ Supported legislation making it illegal to possess or sell any guns or ammunition on any city-owned property, including parks, and regardless of licenses possessed or whether it’s a private residence. And she supported baseless state legislation banning guns shows at Cow Palace, stating: “This place behind us, the Cow Palace, is state property that is allowing the state of California to be a merchant of tools of death.”

Sources: Heather Knight, S.F. Mayor, Police Chief, Others Call for Gun-Show Ban at Cow Palace, S.F. Chron. (Aug. 10, 2007) (available at http://kamalaharris.org/news/319) (video footage of Harris speaking out against gun shows at Cow Palace available at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nW0oee_7ZhU).

▸ Sponsored legislation increasing already impossibly burdensome regulations on gun dealers. And said that “[i]t’s about that one gun shop [in San Francisco] and making a statement to anyone who’s thinking about opening up.”

Sources: Cecilia M. Vega, Mayor Offers Package of Gun Control Laws: He Seeks to Prohibit Firearms Possession on City Property, S.F. Gate (May 16, 2007) (available at http://articles.sfgate.com/2007-05-1...-gun-related); Press Release, Mayor Gavin Newsom and District Attorney Kamala Harris Unveil New Firearms Legislation (May 16, 2007) (available at http://www.sfmayor.org/archives/Pres...es_2007_60643/).

▸ Opposed the death penalty in the case of a cop-killer, Isaac Espinoza.

Sources: Matthew B. Stannard, D.A. Won’t Pursue Death in Cop Slaying: Harris Fulfills Campaign Pledge with Decision, S.F. Gate (Apr. 14, 2004) (available at http://articles.sfgate.com/2004-04-1...tal-punishment).

▸ Said that “[g]etting illegal guns off our streets and protecting California’s assault weapons ban . . . will remain top priorities when I am Attorney General.” And she called for renewal of the dismal failure the federal so-called “assault weapon” ban.

Sources: Joe Garofoli, D.A. Vows to Go After Gun Law Violators: Harris Takes Tough Approach, Pledges Maximum Penalties, S.F. Gate (May 29, 2004) (available at http://articles.sfgate.com/2004-05-2...gun-violence); Dan Morain, Jerry Brown, Meg Whitman React – Sort Of – to Big Gun Ruling, Sacramento Bee (July 1, 2010) (available at http://blogs.sacbee.com/the_swarm/20...an-sort-o.html).

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