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During today’s meeting, First District Supervisor Rex Bohn faced criticism from fellow board members for including a handgun in Humboldt County’s auction basket at a recent meeting of the Rural County Representatives of California (RCRC) Board of Directors. 

The issue was brought up during the board’s discussion on the county’s current appointments to that board. Second District Supervisor Michelle Bushnell quickly made a motion to keep the appointments as is, with Bohn serving as the primary delegate and herself as the alternate.

Wilson | Screenshot

But Third District Supervisor Mike Wilson said he had recently received a few phone calls from concerned individuals regarding the contents of Humboldt County’s auction basket at RCRC’s annual County Basket Drawing and Auction, which was held in Monterey County on Sept. 21. Each of the participating counties were asked to donate a basket to the auction, worth at least $200, featuring items that are representative of the county.

Humboldt County’s basket, assembled by Bohn, included a Traeger Grill, custom redwood benches, a YETI Cooler, $500 of Humboldt Grass-Fed Beef, a box of Humboldt Made treats and … a Smith & Wesson 9mm Cerakote handgun.

Wilson said he had received a number of phone calls from people who were concerned about the firearm being included in the county’s basket. There’s also a post about it on X, the social media site formerly known as Twitter, which has garnered over 760 views in the last 24 hours.

“So now people are talking about Humboldt County being purveyors of guns at a time when, you know, the biggest killer of kids is guns [and] suicide by gun is on the rise,” Wilson said. 

Clerk of the board Tracy D’Amico was hesitant to allow Wilson to continue the conversation without the consent of County Counsel Scott Miles, noting that “it’s not related to the agenda.” Miles said the conversation could continue, “but it must relate to the actual activities that took place in the capacity of the members’ delegacy to RCRC,” he said.

Wilson emphasized that the conversation was relevant to the discussion because it concerned the appointment of a board member who would represent the entire county on a state level.

“We’re promoting firearms and the distribution of firearms,” he said. “It’s not a party favor, and it’s not a door prize, right? It’s a firearm. It’s for the purpose of killing, or shooting people. I mean, that’s, like, generally why they’re developed, right? That’s what their point is. … It’s hard for me to accept that Humboldt County is a purveyor of that in our statewide organizations.”

Bohn sarcastically referred to himself as “a merchant of death,” noting his history in selling guns and cases of wine and liquor at various auctions. 

“If you want me to promise I’ll never sell another gun, I’ll do that,” Bohn said. “I’ve been a licensed hunter since I was 10 years old. I have never seen or bought a gun because you buy [them] to kill people. We can inflame that all we want. But, I mean, I know it’s an election year, let’s dirty up everything else as much as we can.”

Bohn said he had actually won a shotgun at a raffle and decided to trade it in for a pistol to donate to the basket. He emphasized that the gun and the transaction were completely legal, noting that under California law requires a 10-day waiting period before a firearm can be released to its new owner.

“This isn’t the first time I’ve had a gun in my basket,” he said. “And it’s not the first time that a gun in another county’s basket has been there. So the timing of this is … wonderful.”

Fourth District Supervisor Natalie Arroyo pushed back on Bohn’s implication that the timing of the conversation had to do with Bohn’s reelection campaign, noting that the “timing of this has to do with the appointment that we’re making or considering.” Arroyo suggested that the board should postpone the appointment to provide “time to reflect.”

D’Amico said the board would have to make a decision on the matter in the next couple of weeks, prior to the California State Association of Counties (CSAC) meeting in mid-November. 

Arroyo | Screenshot

“I think handguns, in particular, is something that raises a lot of emotional questions … and policy questions around, you know, what we choose to represent us and how we want to be represented and by whom on a statewide level,” Arroyo said. “This isn’t about an individual’s character or anything, it’s just a question of what we as a board think is an appropriate representation of us. I don’t really know what deferring it would accomplish other than just a chance to take a deep breath and think about what makes the most sense.”

Bushnell asked what kind of direction Arroyo and Wilson were looking for, and whether their qualms were about the contents of the basket or the county’s representation with RCRC.

“I can say that I have attended almost all RCRC meetings since I’ve been elected and Supervisor Bohn does a very good job,” she said. “If you are questioning his representation on RCRC and how he represents the county, that’s one thing. If you’re questioning what he put in the basket, then let’s talk about that.”

Wilson admitted that it was “a bit dramatic of myself to say that a 9mm handgun is just made for killing people,” adding that it can also be used for self-defense and target practice.

“But what I’m getting at is that we try so hard to remove these from our streets,” he said. “We try so hard to secure these items so that they [cannot] create danger to our children and people in our community. They are so often used in crime, that it is a concern. … Mass shootings are a thing that are happening all the time, and this isn’t a hunting rifle.”

Fifth District Supervisor and Board Chair Steve Madrone, who appeared via Zoom during today’s meeting, said he had heard “interesting” comments about the county’s baskets at previous RCRC meetings. 

“Many of them thought that our basket was just way over the top,” he said. “One person said to me, ‘Well, you know, all of the rules, or most of the rules that have been set around these baskets have occurred due to Supervisor Bohn’s inclusion of a gun, and at one point cannabis products, et cetera.’”

“And a dog,” Bohn quipped.

Madrone felt the county should choose a representative who would “represent the interests of the county in a good light.” He added that he was “disturbed” that Bohn did not seem to see “the inappropriateness” of his actions.

“It also has concerned me that you have a shotgun … or a rifle, something on the wall in your office,” Madrone continued. “And I don’t know if you keep ammunition or not, but it seems highly inappropriate to me to have a gun in the courthouse in your office.”

Madrone’s comments were interrupted by county counsel, who asked Madrone to stay on topic. Bohn interjected to say that the firing pin has been removed from the gun in his office, rendering it inoperable.

Bushnell said she would like to return to her motion but suspected that it wouldn’t receive support from the rest of the board.

Wilson suggested a reversal of the positions, meaning Bohn would take on the alternate position with RCRC and Bushnell would serve as the primary delegate. 

“I would be willing to do that,” he said. “Otherwise, I really do need to sit on this for a bit because I don’t have all the information. … I want to say, I do really appreciate Supervisor Bohn’s efforts in wanting to promote charities as best he can. I feel like the goal of being the best at that might overtake some decision-making that I would question.”

Bohn offered a second to Wilson’s motion, noting that the county didn’t belong to the RCRC before he joined the board. 

“I served 11 years, I’ve missed one meeting,” he said. “I remember the statement that ‘elections have consequences’ and no matter how this is painted  – and I can see how it’s being painted – hopefully you guys find someone to run against me and you can paint this against me too in the next six weeks. You better hurry.”

Bohn paused for a moment as if he was going to say something and shook his head. “I’m not gonna say it, you guys. I’m just not gonna say it.”

A few folks came out to bat for Bohn during the public comment portion of the discussion. Connie Stewart, Director of Initiatives for Cal Poly Humboldt, praised Bohn’s leadership, both on the Board of Supervisors and on the RCRC board of directors. 

“I was at that auction and it was not the only weapon-related auction item that evening,” Stewart said. “There was also a squirrel shootout at a ranch that happened that evening. So, this event tends to be and this board tends to be very rural. I actually make a joke that Rex is actually quite liberal in this group of people.”

Humboldt County resident Craig Johnson said he wasn’t going to call into public comment but was having “a really hard time” seeing Bohn “being dragged through the mud like this.” 

“He puts forth so much effort and time to our community and really represents a solid cross-section of our community,” he said. “We don’t all live in the same space and believe the same beliefs and I believe, in my opinion, Supervisor Bohn presents a cross-section of our community. What he did was not an issue [from] my standpoint. As he said, the firearm would be transferred through the legal channels so that is, again, the choice of the winner of that firearm to go through that process.”

Following public comment, Wilson and Arroyo seemed to backpedal a bit. Wilson felt as though everyone’s perspectives had been heard throughout the discussion and said he would be willing to go back to the original motion to appoint Bohn as the delegate with Bushnell as an alternate. Arroyo agreed.

Wilson rescinded his motion and seconded the motion Bushnell had made at the beginning of the meeting.

Bohn acknowledged that the RCRC “does have a policy suggesting no guns,” but decided to auction the gun anyway. A July 10, 2023 email from the RCRC President and CEO Patrick Blacklock that was shared with the Outpost notes that “firearms, cannabis, and live animals are no longer permitted” at the auction.

Before voting on the item Bushnell asked if she could do the basket in the future.

“Yeah, you can do the basket,” Bohn said. “Trust me, I don’t want to do the basket anymore.”

The motion passed in a unanimous 5-0 vote.