“I am a strong supporter of both parts of the Second Amendment: the Right To Keep and The Right To Bear Arms. I believe that every law-abiding citizen, properly-vetted, should be allowed to carry a concealed firearm if they so choose,” said Sheriff Chad Bianco this past Saturday at 360 X Self-Defense in Hemet. The event was part of the grand kick-off for the Riverside County Gun Owners PAC.
Bianco is seen by gun owners as a shift from the previous Sheriff’s administration, which did little to aid gun owners who wished to carry firearms legally. “As a gun owner myself, I’ve spoken with many gun owners who believed that the relationship between the previous Sheriff Stan Sniff and the NRA didn’t truly seem to be fostering a supportive stance toward their rights. Honest, law-abiding citizens had to wait, in some cases, two years or longer to get their licenses. That’s not justice delayed, it’s justice denied,” said Bianco.
Ken “Professor Ken” Haslam, CEO and owner of 360 X Self Defense, is a strong believer in the need for all types of self-defense. “We are a personal self-defense school that looks at all areas of personal defense against violent crimes,” said Haslam, adding, “We believe that the utilization of a weapon-any weapon-when your life is threatened, is not only a right…but a duty. The speech which was given by Sheriff Bianco this Saturday, and the new procedures, fit right into our philosophy.”
Dezarae Payne, Executive Director of RCGO, couldn’t agree more. “Sheriff Bianco has always been a strong defender of the Second Amendment, and his leadership was needed in the area of CCW procedures.” Payne says that the old system of requesting a “concealed carry” permit was so laborious with so many hoops to jump through…that honest gun-owners just gave up. “People were waiting two years sometimes, and the system seemed purposely unfair.”
Payne went on to explain that, “Under the 14th amendment, each state has the right to regulate its gun ownership process. In California where honest gun-owners have been delayed their rights to bear arms, the process delayed their right to the point of essentially denying those rights. Sheriff Bianco’s new system has streamlined the process considerably. Now we understand that some people are issuing their CCW Permit in a matter of weeks instead of years.”
But Sheriff Bianco says that he hasn’t come up with anything new. “People are praising me for the new process, but truth be told …there’s really nothing new. We have excellent field investigators. Those investigators are the men and women tasked with investigating those who would like to carry a weapon.
I simply and literally told them to do their jobs. Under the previous administration, that process was being hindered.” In reference to the CCW Permit procedure of the past-its vetting times and rejection rates, Bianco says there was no accountability and honest accounting, and no way for the average gun owner to know where he or she stood in the procedure. “I’m a lifetime and Benefactor member of the NRA, but the groups responsible for supporting and furthering responsible gun ownership, that is, the previous administration, the NRA California branch headed by H. Paul Payne, and also the California Rifle and Pistol Association (CRPA) didn’t seem to be addressing the most important issues. I am correcting that. The previous administration never gave direct answers for rejection rates and procedures.
Very simply put, the previous administration, for all it said in the press, was not very supportive of the Second Amendment. I am.” Under the previous Sheriff’s administration, gun-owners still had to fill out time-consuming, cumbersome, wasteful paper applications. “All we were doing was killing trees, and wasting time: needlessly and purposefully wasting time. It’s 2019. Now people can apply online. It’s also imperative to note that they must show what is called “Good Cause.”
The Riverside Sheriff’s website explains, “A California Sheriff has broad discretion as provided in Penal Code Section §26150(a) to issue a CCW to those qualified citizens residing in the Sheriff’s jurisdiction who demonstrate both “good cause” and “good moral character.” These persons are entrusted to carry loaded, concealed firearms into our public places throughout California. Examples of such public places include our roadways, movie theaters, shopping centers and malls, grocery stores, and the like throughout California.”
360 X Self-Defense was packed to overflowing with gun-owners who cheered many of the positive changes that have come from Sheriff Bianco’s office. “We think the event was an overwhelming success.
We know that the Riverside County Gun Owners and all who attended were extremely happy to see the Sheriff and very pleased with what they heard,” said 30 X Self-Defense owner and CEO Ken Haslam. 360 X Self-Defense is located at 537 E. Florida Avenue or online at 360xselfdefense.com.
