Richard – Riverside Chapter Co Chair
Richard grew up in the Los Angeles suburbs in the 1960’s and 70’s. His family moved in and out of several communities in Southern California. He and his two brothers attended several different schools.
Richard entered the U.S. Navy in 1977 and served for a total of 8 years. He made three Western Pacific Deployments in the U.S. Navy, where he visited allied nations in which normal people usually didn’t have the basic Civil Rights that we enjoy in the United States, the 1st and 2nd Amendments in particular.
Upon completion of his final tour of duty in the Navy, Richard became a cross country Truck Driver (18-Wheeler) Had a 29-year career in the U.S. Postal Service, from which he retired. Richard has been a CRPA Life Member since 1988, and actively volunteering for CRPA since July of 2021, at gun shows, ranges, and with the Riverside, and other CRPA Chapters, in the Inland Empire.
CG: What were your first experiences with shooting firearms?
Richard:
My Mother and stepfather were afraid to have guns in the home, or to endorse any firearms training. I was a latch-key kid, so naturally, this led to several unsupervised misadventures and bb-guns that belonged to my friends… fortunately without any injuries. But that’s another story….
I spent the summer of 1976 with my biological father in the community of Mammoth Lakes, Ca, and there, I successfully attended a Hunters’ Safety Course. This was when I received a brief introduction to hunting small game (rabbits). No misadventures.
CG: What did you do, and what did you see while in the U.S. Navy?
Richard:
I was a Signalman, who transmitted and received encoded messages by visual means: Flashing Light (morse code), Flag Hoist, and Semaphore. I had collateral duties In Shipboard Fire Fighting, Nuclear Weapons Security, Shore Patrol, Instructor Duty, and CPR Instruction.
CG: What did you do, U.S. Postal Service?
Richard:
I drove Trucks (18 Wheelers). I then advanced to Mail Processing Supervisor, Transportation Supervisor, and Transportation Manager (TANS).
CG: What was it like being a 2A supporter as a Federal Employee?
Richard:
While I was in supervision, I had to keep my political opinions to myself, unless asked.
But while I was a driver, the USPS Unions would often tell their members that their jobs depended on the members supporting leftist candidates. When they approached me with this nonsense, my standard response was… “I can get another job; I can’t get another Country.”
CG: What prompted you to volunteer for 2A activities?
Richard:
In the late 1980’s I saw the media begin to ramp up their anti-2A propaganda and observed that CRPA was much quicker to respond to California anti-2A activities than NRA, on the Lobbying, and Litigation front.
From the years 2000 to 2015 I was a member of the now defunct Riverside NRA Members’ Council, which ran the .22 Rifle Range at the annual Youth Safari Day at Raahauge’s’ during those years. I gave the orientation to the shooters on Safety, Sight Picture, and Range Expectations, along with an intro to Eddie Eagle:
CG: As a 2A volunteer, what has been your most fulfilling experience?
Richard:
My most fulfilling experience was when I gave the Sight Picture and Safety orientation at the annual Youth Safari Day .22 Rifle Range. Where I shared the techniques and discipline of safe shooting with youngsters, enabling them to avoid exploring their own unsupervised misadventures.
This activity also demonstrated to Moms that shooting is a safe and disciplined sport. Driving this point home, by 2005, we were permitting Moms who received the orientation, to also shoot on the range. Those Moms walked away with a positive outlook on the shooting sports and garnering a new sense of respect from their children who saw their mothers hit those targets.”
CG: Why did you choose CRPA to invest your 2A volunteer time now?
Richard:
“As time went by, it became more and more apparent to me that CRPA had become the premier organization defending 2A rights in California and keeping the funds that they collected in California for that purpose. It’s too bad more gun owners don’t understand this. That’s why I’ve been investing most of my time since I’ve retired, supporting CRPA at gun shows, the ranges, and with local Chapter activities.”
CG: What is your parting shot, what do you wish gun owners knew?
Richard:
“As Gun Owners, our biggest obstacles are our own lack of participation at the ballot box. We need to ask each other at the ranges, did you vote to support the 2A? We need to end 2A voter apathy. We have been allowing the wrong people to govern our state for too long! You can clear away the confusion by visiting the Voter information page at CRPA.ORG, Or better yet, join, or start, a CRPA Chapter, and become part of the solution.”