Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

Gun mogul's cash targeted Gaspar for assault weapons vote

AR-15 accessory-maker backed PAC attack on Encinitas mayor called flip-flopper

 Encinitas mayor Kristin Gaspar
Encinitas mayor Kristin Gaspar

A San Diego gun-owners’ group financed by a wealthy Santee-based assault-weapons magnate that drew a June primary bead on county supervisorial candidate Kristin Gaspar may now be open to a change of mind.

From the beginning of this year through May 21, the San Diego Gun Owners Association PAC has raised $120,971, spending a total of $107,975 on consultants and fundraising, along with $2750 for production of an online video opposing Gaspar, according to a June10 financial disclosure filing.

Other expenditures revealed by the organization include a total of $32,244 paid to Right Group Consulting, a political operation run by Thomas Knepper, 2014 campaign manager for GOP House candidate Carl DeMaio.

Michael Brown, president of CIM Tactical, was the third-largest contributor to the committee, kicking in a total of $4850 in April. Top giver was Ingrid Poole, widow of big-game hunter Bill Poole of Oceanside, a cofounder of the San Diego branch of the Safari Club, with $6000; second was Rancho Santa Fe real estate maven John Peck, with $5000.

AR-15

Brown’s company website boasts that it is a specialist in equipping the AR-15, the semiautomatic weapon used to kill 50 people and wound dozens more in the Orlando nightclub massacre.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"We currently manufacture many AR parts you may see on the internet today for various gun makers, military & law enforcement agencies" according to CIM's site, "and have developed our own line of high quality AR parts that we are now making available to the general Public!"

AR-15 accoutrements listed for sale include specialized barrels, optics and sights, "drop in trigger groups,” and other shooting-related paraphernalia.

“CIM Tactical is proud to introduce our new ultra-lightweight (7.5 oz.) free floating 11.5” Handguard with the Magpul M-LOK™ mounting system for AR pistols, carbines & rifles."

Back in January 2013, Republican Gaspar irked the gun-rights supporters by voting as a member of the Encinitas City Council to express the city's support for a federal assault-weapons ban, a proposal now being revived by gun-control advocates, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in the wake of the Orlando shooting.

"Mayor Gaspar supported and voted for a gun ban, but now that she is running for higher office, she says she made a mistake voting for a gun ban,” Michael Schwartz, executive director of the gun-owners’ organization, said in a statement posted online by The Shooters Hangout on May 16.

Continued the statement, "This race has a strong Democrat and a strong Republican running; neither has voted against the Second Amendment as Gaspar has done," referring to Democratic incumbent Dave Roberts and GOP Escondido mayor Sam Abed.

But Gaspar beat Abed for second place and now faces Roberts in the fall. The anti-Gaspar video paid for by the gun PAC and posted on YouTube during the primary campaign has been taken down, and talk of peace is in the air.

Founded in 2015, the San Diego Gun Owners group "was formed due to the aggressive and successful effort to significantly limit or eliminate the ownership and use of firearms and the firearms industry in California at the municipal, county, and state level through legislation and regulation," according to the organization’s website.

Candidates it favors for reelection include San Diego city councilman Scott Sherman and La Mesa city councilwoman Kristine Alessio.

During the run-up to this year's supervisorial primary, Gaspar, now serving as mayor of Encinitas, angered gun-control advocates by rejecting a proposed proclamation against gun violence in the wake of December's San Bernardino massacre, according to a Coast News report.

Reached by phone, Schwartz said that Gaspar, who recently endorsed National Rifle Association favorite Donald Trump for president, has taken other steps that have mollified the gun-rights group, including opposing an effort to zone gun shops out of Encinitas.

The gun group has not yet taken a position on November’s match-up of Gaspar versus incumbent Democrat Dave Roberts, who Schwartz says "has no interest in banning guns."

For his part, AR-15 accessory-maker Brown said by phone he is not against all forms of gun regulation, calling for tougher background checks for weapons buyers.

“I’m a Second Amendment advocate,” noted Brown. “I don’t like to see this happen to anybody — gay, straight or whatever. Too bad one of those people didn’t have a gun and waste that [obscenity].”

(corrected 6/15, 3:55 a.m.)

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Second largest yellowfin tuna caught by rod and reel

Excel does it again
 Encinitas mayor Kristin Gaspar
Encinitas mayor Kristin Gaspar

A San Diego gun-owners’ group financed by a wealthy Santee-based assault-weapons magnate that drew a June primary bead on county supervisorial candidate Kristin Gaspar may now be open to a change of mind.

From the beginning of this year through May 21, the San Diego Gun Owners Association PAC has raised $120,971, spending a total of $107,975 on consultants and fundraising, along with $2750 for production of an online video opposing Gaspar, according to a June10 financial disclosure filing.

Other expenditures revealed by the organization include a total of $32,244 paid to Right Group Consulting, a political operation run by Thomas Knepper, 2014 campaign manager for GOP House candidate Carl DeMaio.

Michael Brown, president of CIM Tactical, was the third-largest contributor to the committee, kicking in a total of $4850 in April. Top giver was Ingrid Poole, widow of big-game hunter Bill Poole of Oceanside, a cofounder of the San Diego branch of the Safari Club, with $6000; second was Rancho Santa Fe real estate maven John Peck, with $5000.

AR-15

Brown’s company website boasts that it is a specialist in equipping the AR-15, the semiautomatic weapon used to kill 50 people and wound dozens more in the Orlando nightclub massacre.

Sponsored
Sponsored

"We currently manufacture many AR parts you may see on the internet today for various gun makers, military & law enforcement agencies" according to CIM's site, "and have developed our own line of high quality AR parts that we are now making available to the general Public!"

AR-15 accoutrements listed for sale include specialized barrels, optics and sights, "drop in trigger groups,” and other shooting-related paraphernalia.

“CIM Tactical is proud to introduce our new ultra-lightweight (7.5 oz.) free floating 11.5” Handguard with the Magpul M-LOK™ mounting system for AR pistols, carbines & rifles."

Back in January 2013, Republican Gaspar irked the gun-rights supporters by voting as a member of the Encinitas City Council to express the city's support for a federal assault-weapons ban, a proposal now being revived by gun-control advocates, including Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton, in the wake of the Orlando shooting.

"Mayor Gaspar supported and voted for a gun ban, but now that she is running for higher office, she says she made a mistake voting for a gun ban,” Michael Schwartz, executive director of the gun-owners’ organization, said in a statement posted online by The Shooters Hangout on May 16.

Continued the statement, "This race has a strong Democrat and a strong Republican running; neither has voted against the Second Amendment as Gaspar has done," referring to Democratic incumbent Dave Roberts and GOP Escondido mayor Sam Abed.

But Gaspar beat Abed for second place and now faces Roberts in the fall. The anti-Gaspar video paid for by the gun PAC and posted on YouTube during the primary campaign has been taken down, and talk of peace is in the air.

Founded in 2015, the San Diego Gun Owners group "was formed due to the aggressive and successful effort to significantly limit or eliminate the ownership and use of firearms and the firearms industry in California at the municipal, county, and state level through legislation and regulation," according to the organization’s website.

Candidates it favors for reelection include San Diego city councilman Scott Sherman and La Mesa city councilwoman Kristine Alessio.

During the run-up to this year's supervisorial primary, Gaspar, now serving as mayor of Encinitas, angered gun-control advocates by rejecting a proposed proclamation against gun violence in the wake of December's San Bernardino massacre, according to a Coast News report.

Reached by phone, Schwartz said that Gaspar, who recently endorsed National Rifle Association favorite Donald Trump for president, has taken other steps that have mollified the gun-rights group, including opposing an effort to zone gun shops out of Encinitas.

The gun group has not yet taken a position on November’s match-up of Gaspar versus incumbent Democrat Dave Roberts, who Schwartz says "has no interest in banning guns."

For his part, AR-15 accessory-maker Brown said by phone he is not against all forms of gun regulation, calling for tougher background checks for weapons buyers.

“I’m a Second Amendment advocate,” noted Brown. “I don’t like to see this happen to anybody — gay, straight or whatever. Too bad one of those people didn’t have a gun and waste that [obscenity].”

(corrected 6/15, 3:55 a.m.)

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Please enjoy this clickable Reader flipbook. Linked text and ads are flash-highlighted in blue for your convenience. To enhance your viewing, please open full screen mode by clicking the icon on the far right of the black flipbook toolbar.

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Undocumented workers break for Trump in 2024

Illegals Vote for Felon
Next Article

Tigers In Cairo owes its existence to Craigslist

But it owes its name to a Cure tune and a tattoo
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader