Gun Owners of California

1975

• Founded by Senator H.L. Richardson
• 1975 State Legislature sought to ban all handguns in California
• direct mail campaign was used to defeat the legislation
• first pro-gun group on television, radio and in the newspapers when the ban of semi-automatic handguns, rifles and shotguns surfaced
• first gun group in the nation to produce a video for television that revealed the truth about semi-automatic firearms
• first to do television spots alerting the citizens to the anti-gun legislation in Sacramento
• 501(c)4 non-profit
• 1998 Sam Paredes Executive Director