2nd Amendment Live Auction & Fundraiser Raises Over $40,000; 260 Attend–
Patrick Jones: “Court Decisions Should Be Based On The U.S. Constitution”
By Mike Hernandez
ANDERSON–The Legal Fund to Restore 2nd Amendment Rights & Open Carry in California held Aug. 21st raised $40,000 in donations ($18,000 in the live auction) with 260 attending the fundraising event featuring Corning 17-year-old auctioneer Jayden Byrd at the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Hall.
Photo By Mike Hernandez
The fundraiser was organized in the aftermath of the Baird v. Bonta, Ninth Circuit ruling (Jan. 2, 2026) that California’s ban on open carry violates the Constitution. Baird, who wished to openly carry a fire-arm for self-defense, challenged California’s laws that prohibited open-carry in counties with populations of more than 200,000: 95 percent of California’s population.
The event put on by Patrick and Lori Jones and their team (Terry Rapoza, Lyndia Kent, Jon Knight, Win Carpenter and others) featured Siskiyou rancher Mark Baird, a former Vietnam veteran and airline transport pilot, Reserve Sheriff Deputy, member of the Siskiyou County Sheriff’s Posse, rancher, and small business owner who has been involved in 2nd Amendment issue for decades.
Photo By Mike Hernandez
Baird, is a spokesperson for the State of Jefferson (SOJ), a long-standing movement that has sought to establish a new Pacific state carved out of parts of northern California and Southern Oregon due to political tensions between the Democratic supermajority in Sacramento and the more conservative North State (rural northern California).
Photo By Mike Hernandez
In fact, federal Assistant Attorney General Harmeet Dhillon, a President Trump appointee and San Francisco-based lawyer at the end of 2025, announced the Department of Justice’s establishment of a new team of prosecutors, with the mission “to advance a broad interpretation of the 2nd Amendment.”
While open-carry is allowable in Siskiyou County which has a population of 46,000, Baird was told that he would not be allowed to open-carry a gun in an opinion supported by California Attorney General Rob Bonta. In the appeal, the Ninth Circuit Court applied the historical tradition test outlined in New York State Rifle & Pistol Association v. Bruen, and held that California’s ban on open carry in urban counties was inconsistent with the Second Amendment. Open carry is part of this Nation’s history and tradition and is “clearly protected” at the time of the Founding and at the time of the adoption of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The court ruled that California insists that citizens in counties with populations of fewer than 200,000 people can apply for an open-carry license. Yet California admits that it has no record of even one open-carry license being issued, and one potential reason “is that California has misled its citizens about how to apply for an open-carry license.”
Mark Baird who was the featured speaker asked attendees: “What is the proper role of government?” He went on to quickly explain America’s founding documents and judicial legal experts while also quoting Leviticus 25:10: “You shall…proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants” as well as the proper role of “we the people.”
Patrick Jones, emcee of the event, said that if the California courts overturn Baird v. Bonta the case could go to the Supreme Court which means a ruling would have national significance. “These court decisions have been decided along party lines but they should be based on the U.S. Constitution.”
(Editor’s Note: See the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals amended ruling on April 16, 2026:
A 53-minute KCNR compact disc of “Heroes of Jefferson” was given to all fundraiser attendees. Individuals still wishing to donate to the 2nd Amendment Legal Fund can make out a check to: the non-profit PECAN–Patriots Educating Concerned Americans Now and mail to: 14421 Old Oregon Trail, Suite B, Redding, CA 96003.
Patrick Jones has lived in Shasta County over 50 years and attended Shasta College and Sacramento State University. He served on the Redding City Council from 2006 to 2014 and was Redding Mayor in 2010. He can be contacted at: [email protected] or by calling (530) 222-3223.
For more information, contact: Terry Rapoza at (530) 246-9706 or Lyndia Kent at: (530) 221-0101.
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(Editor’s Note: CaliRedNews.com is an online news platform focused on Making California Red by the 2028 elections through reaching Gen Z (ages 13-28), Hispanics, and Christians with biblical traditional values. CaliRed News reports on political, church, and education news. Free subscriptions are available at https://substack.com/@calirednews or CaliRedNews.com.
Mike Hernandez, is co-founder of the Citizens Journal–Ventura County’s online news service. He is a former Southern California daily newspaper journalist and religion and news editor, writer of “CaliRed News” on Substack.com and “Prayer Over News Daily” and other columns. Mr. Hernandez mentors citizen journalists and is author of “Citizen Journalism: How to Report, Write, and Publish Local News Like a Pro—Finding Your Voice, Reporting the Truth, and Building a News Source for Your Community” and can be contacted at MikeHernandezMedia.com dedicated to advancing truth, service, and hope through Mission News Service. He is also founder/publisher/editor of https://calirednews.com/.)