Sheriff Revokes CCW Permit in Retaliatory Move

Less than 24 hours after a San Jacinto resident, and former longtime volunteer with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department, posted on social media what he knew about a student being shot at the Ben Clark Training Center on Aug. 10, his CCW permit was revoked.

Sheriff Chad Bianco had never publicly released information about the incident.  As more and more people corroborated what Michael Boehnlein had heard and suspected, he reported it in a firearms group on Facebook. Bianco is also a member.

“I don’t care,” Michael Boehnlein told Uken Report. “It was not my intent to hide it from him. He has an obligation to disclose this.”

The incident occurred on Aug. 10 when a Riverside County Deputy allegedly “negligently fired” a firearm. Boehnlein claims basic firearms safety rules were violated and instructors were not qualified.

Boehnlein displayed the information for the world to see, which was the goal. He was shining a light in a dark corner. He published the post on the afternoon of Aug. 21.  At 7:41 a.m. on Aug. 22, he received a call from the Carry Concealed Weapons (CCW) Unit. Busy with a personal family matter, Boehnlein let it go to voicemail.  Before he got a chance to return the call, he received a second call and a voicemail from Deputy Larry F. Searles advising him that his CCW permit had been revoked immediately on orders of the administration. Searles also said “administration” would be in touch with Boehnlein. He said he has heard from no one.

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“My belief is that it was done in retaliation for posting about the incident,” Michael Boehnlein told Uken Report. “He wanted to keep it hidden. He’s pissed off.  I supported him in the 2014 election, but I was the biggest thorn in his side during the 2018 election.”

See an additional pair of Facebook posting that Boehnlein believes led to the revocation of his CCW permit.

Boehnlein first got his CCW permit in 2014.

Bianco did return a phone call from Uken Report on Friday afternoon.

But shortly after Uken Report placed the call, Deputy Mike Vasquez, public information officer for the Sheriff’s Department, issued a news release. The release comes two weeks after the shooting.

At 10:43 a.m. on Aug. 10, staff from the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department hosted a Concealed Carry Weapons (CCW) Qualification and Renewal Course at the Ben Clark Training Center’s Gun Range.

During the CCW renewal process, Department range staff inspect CCW holders’ handguns to ensure no unauthorized modifications have been performed and that their firearms are in operable condition according to the release.  All participants are instructed to unload their handguns before the inspection process begins. The inspection includes a trigger-pull test to determine the amount of force needed to fully cycle the pistol. A CCW holder presented their firearm to a range staff, and during the inspection, the firearm discharged striking the civilian in the leg.

The injured citizen was treated by range staff.  Paramedics arrived and the citizen was transported to a local hospital where he received treatment for a non-life-threatening wound.

The accidental discharge is under investigation by members of the Department assigned to the Perris Sheriff’s Station. Additionally, the Ben Clark Training Center is also conducting an investigation to determine if range staff followed policies and procedures. Anyone with information about the incident is encouraged to contact the Perris Sheriff’s Station Investigators at 951-210-1000.

Boehnlein claims the injured person is a Riverside County transportation employee.

For years, Boehnlein volunteered for the Sheriff’s Department, logging hundreds of hours each year. That was under former Sheriff Stan Sniff’s tenure.