Our friends over at the San Diego County Gun Owners (SDCGO) PAC recently put out their annual voter guide. The thing about SDCGO is that they’re non-partisan, and will support candidates that they think will support the Second Amendment best. I certainly can’t fault them for that. There are people out there though, just like the “blue no matter who” crowd, who will be unwaveringly supporting members of the Grand Old Party, regardless of their stance/history on the Second Amendment. SDCGO endorsed some 32 candidates in various races throughout the county.

Executive Director of SDCGO, Michael Schwartz, does have a critical view about many of those die hard GOP members. In a social media post he discussed this dynamic a little, and that caused me to reach out to chat with him. In his post he tagged a few culprits that would fall into the category of being less than supportive of the Second Amendment. Schwartz and I have talked privately about different politicians that back out of supporting or giving opposition to a measure that he’s called on them to act upon. Those politicians that ping-pong on him in San Diego County generally end up being Republicans.

One of the “tagged” politicians was John Hemmerling. If you know the name John Hemmerling, that’s because he’s one of the candidates who’s running for San Diego County Sheriff. I covered Hemmerling and his antics quite extensively, and he’s one of those “I support the Second Amendment but” types. In his current role as Chief Criminal Prosecutor in the City of San Diego, Hemmerling has gone around to jurisdictions all over California to teach law enforcement officials how to execute Gun Violence Restraining Orders, aka Red Flag confiscations. GOP or not, this guy has a panache for the lack of due process and violation of several different rights. If you’re not up to speed on Hemmerling, my former coverage about him will tell you everything you need to know.

In the spirit of American individualism and trolling like a champion, I commented on Schwartz’s post. Nothing over the top. I did not name names, I simply noted, “I hear one of those so-called 2a supporters also supports red flag laws!” Hemmerling had the stones to actually reply, by calling out his opponent in the race, current Undersheriff Democrat Kelly Martinez. Hemmerling replied, in a now deleted post (yes I have a screen shot), the following:

Yes. Democrat Kelly Martinez routinely uses Red Flag laws (GVRO’s). And the San Diego Democratic Party headed by her supporters Nathan Fletcher and Todd Gloria strongly supports them.

He included a picture of Martinez, and I’m going to assume who is Flecther and Gloria.

I ever-so-politely reminded Hemmerling that I have done coverage on him, that he must have forgotten who I was, and may have said something to the effect of “I know you teach other jack-booted thugs how to take away guns by misusing GVROs.”

Kelly Martinez is SDCGOs favored pick for Sheriff. As the current Undersheriff, she’s a known entity to the organization, and they have a chronicled history with her. It was under the former Sheriff that SDCGO helped get concealed carry permits issued in the county, and that includes working with Martinez. My coverage on Martinez might help bring her role in the election into sharper detail, as well as her stances. 

I asked Schwartz what’s the most important race out of all the candidate’s SDCGO is supporting, and not surprising, he said the County Sheriff’s race. While chatting, he did vent some of his frustrations to me about how partisan people can get.

Some Republicans won’t vote for a pro Second Amendment candidate because she “might” turn anti-gun, so they’re voting for an anti-gun Republican who had already proven he is anti-gun.

As for his reply to Hemmerling? Heh, Schwartz did not hold back at all.

Or the department executes them according to state law? Be honest, for once.

Had you not spread GVROs to department after department and expanded their use beyond “red flag”, there would be a fraction of these predatory orders issued.

She didn’t spread them, like you.

She also doesn’t describe them as being good for gun owners like you and your strategic advisor and left-wing extremist Dave Myers.

…

I also like that she was never a speaker at an anti-gun rally:

https://www.marincounty.org/main/county-press-releases/press-releases/2021/da-gunsafetyforum-081621

I can hear Hemmerling saying quietly in the background, “I was just doing my job.” Except to him, the matter of gun-grabbing seems almost like a religion.

The citizens of San Diego have choices to make. The San Diego County Gun Owners PAC have put out their recommendations, and you can read them for yourself. They took the time to vet those who they think will best support the Second Amendment, regardless of political party. For the Sheriff’s race, there’s known entity, Kelly Martinez, or known proponent of GVROs, John Hemmerling.

Now, there are some sage words that I must parrot from Cam. During an interview we did with Walk the Talk America, he did muse there are not going to be too many people that, at the end of their lives, wished that they had argued more with people on the internet. And Cam, you’re right. That does not change the fact that Hemmerling needed to be called out.

For some footage of me, Schwartz, and the crew at Gun Owners Radio cutting it up about Hemmerling and more, you can check out the embed below or click HERE.