NRA Energizes Sniff Camp with Jolt of Support

As the contentious and costly race for Riverside County Sheriff runs out the clock, the National Rifle Association, NRA, has infused the Stan Sniff campaign with an unmistakable, full-throat message of support to its membership.

In an e-mail blast shot ’round Riverside County, and likely beyond, the message was forceful, leaving little doubt that Sniff should be re-elected on Tuesday.

“Your National Rifle Association Political Victory Fund (NRA-PVF) wants to make sure you know who supports your Second Amendment rights before you go to the voting booth,” the e-mail blast read. “For the 2018 General Election, NRA-Political Victory Fund has endorsed Stanley Sniff for Sheriff in Riverside County.”

The NRA blast was the second in as many days for the veteran law enforcement official.

The NRA announcement was also a shot across the bow of extreme right-wing gun groups such as The Calguns Foundation (CGF), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), Firearms Policy Coalition (FPC), Firearms Policy Foundation (FPF), and Madison Society Foundation (MSF). They have filed a federal lawsuit against Sniff over handgun carry license policies and practices they claim are unconstitutional.

Sniff has called the lawsuit “purely a political ploy.”

Dan Shapiro, president of the West End Gun Club, also heralded Sniff to the 2,200-members of the organization, leaving no question who the organization’s preferred candidate is.

West End Gun Club is a privately owned Club that is a non-profit California Corporation dedicated to encouraging organized rifle, pistol and shotgun shooting among citizens of the United States, improving the citizens’ knowledge of safe handling and proper care of firearms, improving marksmanship and developing the characteristics of honesty, good fellowship, self discipline, team play and self reliance as essentials of good sportsmanship.

In a Bullet-In to the membership, Shapiro explained that he and Sniff discussed rumors that he is making it difficult to secure Concealed Carry Weapon permits. Shapiro assured members there is no truth to the rumors.

“He won’t give them out to just anybody, because there are people out there who shouldn’t have a CCW permit,” Shapiro said. “There is an application and screening. He is one of our greatest allies and we need to support him in the Nov. 6 election with our votes.”

Sniff has a rich and well-documented history of maintaining what he has termed a “fair and reasonably policy” on the issuing carrying concealed weapons (CCWs) for Riverside County residents, but repeatedly has said that not everyone will be granted the ability the carry a loaded concealed firearm in the public areas of Riverside County communities.

“My posture has long been that we support the issuance of CCWs, but we also believe that it to be sound public policy that we ‘carefully screen’ all individuals applying to carry on their person a hidden, loaded handgun in our public areas,” Sniff told Uken Report. “There is a big difference between having a ‘right’ to own and possess a firearm, and the legal ‘privilege’ in California to carry a loaded, concealed handgun on our streets, in our movie theaters, going to the market, and at public events.”

Sniff said he fully supports issuance of CCWs pursuant to state law. Most law-abiding citizens will qualify after careful screening, but some will not for a variety of reasons, and they will not be issued CCWs.

“We certainly aren’t going to hand gun permits out on the street corners with wild abandon — that is neither reasonable nor good sense,” Sniff said. “Our applicant process is both fair and reasonable, and the more moderate gun rights groups support that posture.”