Anti-Roberti Gun Lobby to Mail Out 20,000 Flyers

Hoping to stymie the reelection of a major political foe, gun owners across the country are planning an extensive mail campaign against Democratic state Sen. David A. Roberti as he seeks a seat on unfamiliar political turf in the San Fernando Valley, a gun rights activist said Thursday.

But Roberti’s campaign manager charged Thursday that gun activists were trying to deceive voters by hiding the true source of flyers that will be mailed at the end of this month.

Gun owners are eager to retaliate against Roberti for his sponsorship of a landmark 1989 law restricting private ownership of military-style assault weapons in California. They mounted a similar attack in 1990 against the bill’s other major sponsor, former Assemblyman Mike Roos (D-Los Angeles), who was reelected but later left the Legislature to take a private job.

Gun rights activists plan to send thousands of pamphlets attacking Roberti to voters in the 20th Senate District by the end of this month, said Ray Hickman, a board member of the Constitutional Rights Federation, a gun owners group. Roberti is battling nine other candidates in an April 7 special election to replace former Sen. Alan Robbins (D-Van Nuys).

Robbins resigned in November after agreeing to plead guilty to federal corruption charges. Roberti is running for the 20th District seat because his old, Hollywood-based district was dismembered during reapportionment earlier this year.

Roberti’s campaign manager, Cathy Keig, said Roberti is “very proud” of the assault weapon ban. She also said gun rights activists are using deceptive tactics, concealing their sponsorship of the flyers.

The mailers, which describe Roberti as “king of the back-room, special-interest deals in the state Senate,” are signed by a group called Californians Against Corruption, which describes itself as “a grass-roots nonpartisan group of citizens.”

But Hickman said the group is a “cute little front” for the Constitutional Rights Federation, a gun owners lobby. He said gun owners tried to hide the mailers’ source fearing that voters would not take them seriously if they knew they were from gun interests.

“It is a front for the firearms community . . . CRF is behind the mailing,” Hickman said, adding that he was speaking out because he believes in an honest approach.

Spokesmen for Californians Against Corruption could not be reached Thursday.

Hickman, who owns a Sylmar security firm, said gun activists were sent a kit including the pamphlet and pre-printed mailing labels. They were urged to copy the brochure and send it to 100 voters in the district, he said, adding that at least 20,000 copies will be sent out.

A cover letter accompanying the kit reads: “Welcome to the STAMP OUT ROBERTI campaign. Congratulations on your decision to preserve your rights. Best of all, it’s PAYBACK TIME!”

The flyer itself, however, makes no mention of Roberti’s opposition to assault weapons. Instead, it attacks Roberti for taking contributions from special interests, favoring higher taxes, being “soft on crime” and not living in the Valley.

Last week, Californians Against Corruption filed a lawsuit to take Roberti’s name off the ballot, arguing that he has not resided in the Valley district long enough to meet the legal requirements to be a candidate. A judge dismissed the suit the same day it was filed.

Keig said Roberti expected to be attacked by pro-gun interests and dismissed the mailer as “not particularly sophisticated.”

“It’s deceptive to have these layers of facade when in fact it’s just . . . gun owners who are trying to distort the truth,” she said.