1975 – Founded by Senator H. L. Richardson
Hubert Leon “Bill” Richardson
– 1975 founded Gun Owners of California
Sam Paredes
- 1998 – Executive Director of Gun Owners of California
About Gun Owners of California
Gun Owners of California (GOC) is one of the oldest state-level gun rights organizations in the country. It was formed in 1975, when the California Legislature was considering a measure to ban handguns, and it grew out of the effort led by State Senator H. L. “Bill” Richardson to rally gun owners to defeat that proposal. Richardson, a Navy veteran of World War II, served in the California State Senate from 1967 to 1988 and also founded Gun Owners of America, the national group that grew out of the California organization. He died on January 13, 2020, at age 92.
GOC works in Sacramento through a three-part approach of lobbying the Legislature, supporting litigation and engaging in elections. Its longtime executive director, Sam Paredes, also serves on the board of the Gun Owners Foundation and has filed declarations in support of court challenges to California gun laws. For gun owners in a state with some of the nation’s strictest firearm rules, GOC remains one of the main organized voices at the Capitol.
Key Facts
- 1967: H. L. Richardson takes his seat in the California State Senate
- 1975: Gun Owners of California formed to oppose a proposed handgun ban
- 1988: Richardson leaves the State Senate after 22 years
- January 13, 2020: H. L. Richardson dies at 92
- 2022-2023: Sam Paredes files declarations for GOC in challenges to California gun laws
