H. L. Richardson

Hubert Leon "Bill" Richardson was a successful advertising executive. In 1965, he published Slightly to the Right, a humorous book teaching conservatives how to debate liberals. He was also a big game hunter, having taken trophies in Africa, Alaska, California and most of the western states.

In 1966, he became a California state senator, where he served until 1988. During his terms, he received legislator of the year awards from Christian and Sportsman organizations six times. In 1974, he ran as a Republican for the United States Senate but was defeated. In 1975, he founded the firearms lobby group Gun Owners of America (GOA) and began to focus his political career on the preservation and protection of the American right to bear arms.

While in office, Richardson organized multiple Political Action Committees [PACs] to raise money to campaign against the political left. One such committee defeated three state Supreme Court justices, while another defeated the Governor's veto on capital punishment in California.

In 1988, Richardson left political office to focus on building GOA into the second largest pro-gun organizations in America.