Calguns.org is the backup server. I think the owner is working on the frontend to get .net back up.

Was reading over on Castboolits and they said Geovario went down taking out Thehighroad.org, Snipershide, Calguns etc etc. Thats strange that all of a sudden this would happen?

All of your posts regarding calguns/ GPal reek of affiliation.

Wonder if there will be "massive data loss"  when it comes back up.

Because of the statements listed above and other similar comments I have chosen not to donate to CGF and my donations go to CRPA and SAF instead.
 

Looks like we've all been banned for making shitty comments.

He's a calguns/GPal enforcer who threatens to ban people if they dare to ask for their funds. Check screenshot on page 7 of this thread

oohhhhhh.....makes sense now.

Hey 6172crew, since Ben won't answer the phone (or email and he lives to far for me to drive to his house), and he's clearly your buddy, give him a call and tell him to give me my damn money.  And NO he can't use it for his legal defense fund.

Check this out.



http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showpost.php?p=1022815&postcount=2539





Thread:

http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showthread.php?t=89122&page=127

 

I used to belong (I guess I still do), but I quit going there specifically because of the BS about LEOs and the EBRs.  I also almost sent in money for the raffle, but it just didn't feel quite legit.  



 

It's a personal forum for a few guys to make themselves look like big timers, further their own agendas, and fleece their members.  Sickening.



I also noticed that the CalGuns group are never paying members here (I could be wrong, but I haven't run into any) and come to this web site to pimp CalGuns.  





 

nice

Intersting...I haven't logged into calguns in over a year.  I just went to log in and it would appear as though my password has been reset.  My user email is he email I have been using to go back and forth with GPal....hmmmmmmmm

I'm a Calguns member and a paying member here.



Granted, I use Calguns mainly for the classifieds.



 

I'm a paying member on both sites.

I guess I was talking about the people on the board and their defenders.  Sorry to lump you guys in there with them.  For that matter, I am a member there also.  



 

Looks like he hasn't responded to a thread on calguns in over a week.  Maybe he's on the run.

Naa, probably another mototcycle race...

I am going to put together an honest Payment Service just so I don't have to put up with any of the "Pals" anymore.

Paypal has been working perfectly for me over the years. As long as they don't know what your buying or selling they could careless, just don't put AK-47 in your title and you will be fine. Thousands and thousands of people use Paypal for gun related transactions with no problems, just fly under there radar...



 

GPAL finally got their BBB rating




F

 

It ain't pretty.

Looks like he's having fun out on the town while other people are still missing there money...



http://castboolits.gunloads.com/showpost.php?p=1025498&postcount=2710

That just pisses me off.  Someone should just slap that smug grin off his face.

Hi folks...

I am f*****g beyond mad with Ben Cannon.   HIs lack of communication these last couple of months is just plain wrong.  
He's certainly abused past friendships, along with customers (and, I've heard, employees) and done a disservice to
a ton of good folk.

I think if he'd let people know there were startup or staffing problems (or whatever there are, we friggin' dunno)  there would
be a tad more understanding.   All we can do is wait and see, because talking to him months ago - "fix your delays" -  hain't
worked and he started doing motorcycle race sponsor crap instead.  Goes to show you how much influence nonemployeees
and gunnies have.  [Support by various folks for Ben in a past automotive drama w/some local LE in which he was cleared
right after shouldn't be construed as support for his current business conduct –– nor should support for GunPal's conceptual
existence and lack of worry about initial teething pains be construed as support for outta-hand unexplained delays and non
performance and lack of communications these last few months.  All we can do is wait & see with the rest.



Now, as far as a post above where some people discussed being butt-hurt about my past pursuit of CA LEOs illegally owning
AWs with their 'brass pass'  -

1.  The need for that has somewhat been diluted post-RKBA-incorporation, and with some new strategies.

2.  Such a cop will prob get off with at best a ding on his record;  the real aftereffect will be in the DA's office and
    possible case reopening costs, etc.  (Brady/Giglio credibility  issues).  From
    that, political pressure can be  generated for 'fixup' laws.  The goal was less to 'bust a cop' but to provisionally
    use such information against DA  office.  (Remember that a cop illegally committing what can be a felony violation
    was armed by the city or county, which creates a rich field of play.)

    And just because the cop got in some drama doesn't mean we wouldn't quietly help him (which would help us
    get to another goal...)

3.  Certain situations it could be useful in defending someone on an OLL/AW charge and stop AW enforcement in a whole
    county;   (after the Beverly Hills cop was busted for AW/SBRs he got off because of "complexity".  I think it's gonna
    be hard to do future such busts in that area given that screwup by LA DA office)

4.  CGF would *LOVE* to defend a cop on an AW violation to move toward a 'non-clarity' ruling in court -  we almost got there
    1.5 yrs ago, in the 2007  CA DOJ vs. Contos case - the DOJ fled, leaving a factual finding of innocence.  This was a
    Deputy AG (Alison's) last gasp and one of the things that led her out the door.  

    Remember, things where there is a mix of confusion and conflict in the law,  it gives us opportunities to exploit and take
    bad gun laws down!

    Perfect example:  our Sykes case and the issues it delved into, combined with some
    budget issues as political cover,  drove Sacramento County into de facto shall-issue CCW - making 'good cause' be
    personal protection, and 'good character' being non-felon, non-recent violent misdemeanant nor recent heavy drug charge.
    In fact the most important thing  for a person now applying for CCW in Sacramento is to remember to not drool on the form and
    to write legibly!  :)


Bill Wiese
San Jose CA

Bill,

I'm glad you are seeing the problem we are having. There is a ton of good folks that have been and still are being hurt by this. We try to be civil, and keep things toned down, but, as I'm sure by your post, everyone has a limit.

We, as Gpal users, have been treated like mushrooms since we started trying to get our money from Ben. We have no idea what is going on, which can lead to speculation. It has also led to many of us filing complaints with authorities. We had no choice, as many of us depend on the income Ben is holding from us, to feed our families, put gas in our car, and purchase materials for our businesses.

I wish everyone on CGN would have the same "eye opening" as you appear to have had. We've tried to explain who we are, and, logic would dictate that if we were using Gpal, we MUST be pro-gun, as all of you are. Many of us were not treated very well when we posted over on the CGN forum. We were treated like trespassers, as opposed to fellow gun owners  that are having a problem with a vendor there.

Thank you for your post here.

GROG

It's a little more than this Bill.  You've let your feelings be known how you feel about LEOs, and it's pretty shitty.  Thanks for painting a whole profession with a wide brush.



 

Grog,

Given I have worked at many startups,  I understand 'teething pain' and figured the early drama regarding
individual transactions was indeed that.

GPal was certainly a good idea, and various individuals supported it conceptually because it was a refutation
of antigunner Meg Whitman's PayPal.  (The original "Pay Pal mafia" were libertarian pro-gunners but after Ebay
took it over all that flavor went bye-bye.)

Problems are problems but when there's no communications then it gets stupid - and when the motorcycle
race crap, began various folks told Ben to "tend kitchen" and "mind the store" and he apparently (obviously)
didn't, that's what began the P-O factor.   I'm guessing but I think he prob thought "throw up a website and
the transactions take care of themselves".

We'll just have to wait, see and hope.

Regards,
Bill

Sometimes it is hard not to do so. The "us versus them" attitude is common even on gun boards. A LEO member of CGN got publically slapped for "joking" about killing open carry advocates. I've seen LEOs on this site tirelessly defend unjustified or suspect shootings of unarmed individuals. They're just as bad as the ones that mindlessly bash LEOs, but at least their beliefs don't endanger the public when acted upon.

 

Perhaps I get jaded.  But when we  see the LEOs that support AW bans, that screw up and arrest people for
non-crimes,  that shoot, fondle and damage unconvicted folks' guns in inventory, we get an understandably
negative view.  The overaggressive Riverside and other OC LE harrassments of legit OLL owners by various
cops was way over the top.    The arrest for legal UOC in San Diego was way over the top - and these were
supposedly gun-knowledgeable cops.  (Of course, $35K lawsuit settlement is a nice reward.)  

There are indeed some good cops out there (esp Calgunners) but man oh man we do run into a lotta problem children.
As a few more CGF cases develop you'll see some more atrocious behavior.  

One anti UOC cop threatened to prone out UOCers and "take two weeks vacation"  (i.e, kill the dude for fake threat,
and let the magic investigation grind to a preordained conclusion).   That individual should NOT be a cop and
any cop that defends that conduct should not be one either.  This is not Aregentina with roving death squads for
the politically inappropriate - and UOC is a political expression, since it sure as hell ain't much use for defense.

BTW, I've never seen any other group really that worried about the regard of their profession vs. themselves.
It's kinda unique.  My profession has idiots and bad apples and dolts in it and yet justifiable attacks on them
don't aggrieve me...

-Bill

I recall that and he was wrong for acting that way.  He deserved to get slapped.  That's not what I was referring to.  Bill is a Director at CGF and what he said was inappropriate.  



 

Perhaps it was (it's a matter of opinion), but it was definitely incorrect. Being a LEO would not be a step down for Benjamin Cannon, because he is just a failed businessman with the traits of a con-man. It's also true that his record would likely make it impossible for him to enter law enforcement.








 

Perhaps.

However that actual road stop matter back then was indeed entirely BS and I'm wondering how that case even got as
far as it did.  I do know Ben drives like nuts and is certainly not a friend of the po-lice up there for that alone. And I
dislike the way news quoted PD inventory phrasing - minor investigation would have shown exaggeration.
So without forgiving GPal policies and noncommunication etc that matter stood on its own and indeed went away.
It was a bad arrest and the SRPD officers should indeed have been castigated regardless of what future matters
transpired  w/Gpal.

I also do agree that there are some people with too much drama in their lives.  Funny, I never get stopped much
and when I have I've been sitting on a friggin' arsenal and had no problems (not that anyone knew ).   But somehow
a well-spoken guy in a clean vehicle with haircut and pressed shirt and Rolex who doesn't yell seems to not have drama.  


-Bill

LOL....GPal CS rep masquerading as  "George Hammond" and "Chad Smith" has been outed on calguns, where he goes by the handle name pullnshoot25. Somebody needs to shut down them cocksucking roaches.

Kestryll sure hit that one fast, but I have no idea what you are talking about. pullnshoot25 is an open carry advocate in Southern California.





 

I looked and looked for that San Diego case.  I finally found it.  It's a Federal case.  CGF, if they were indeed behind the defense in this case (I see that the attorney is a board member), dropped the ball on this.  Not only did they NOT get a precedent setting ruling, they settled with the City and the City got a pass.  They settled WITHOUT admitting ANY wrongdoing.  The only training they are getting is a memo at line up stating the law regarding open carry.  The FFI and the $35,000 went to one individual, who was wronged.  His arrest and court information is in the system and will never be erased.  





Your absurd comparisons diminish your credibility.  All of you on the CGs/CGF board have coddled Ben and given him a "Brass Pass" on his activities. In the latest CGF email I received, CGF was still using GPal for donations.  











 

I remember one of the CGF members stating tht that was a mistake, that he forgot to update the email template before he sent ouf the email.

If I had a web site and someone associated with it was ripping off people that visited my site, I'd make it a priority to remove any association with him.  Is CGF that incompetent or arrogant?  Their priorities and loyalty concerning Ben are a huge disappointment.





 

We listen to real attorneys who get what they can in the best way possible.  The attorney was Jason Davis,
who is not a CGF board member but whom we work with frequently.   Jason Davis is a big reason we have
black rifles in CA as well as other DOJ regulatory processes being stopped.  

It seems single incidences of short-term 'false arrest' cases etc. don't generally rise to "higher levels" than this,
but future instances that duplicate this can trigger 1983 violations.   If Wolanyk gets popped another time, or
another case has the 'same features' for similar person, that's when things can escalate.  

This was the best outcome given the situation and indeed "registered" there and elsewhere.  I do not think
UOCers will be harassed in this form again, although aggressive 12031(e) checks will likely continue in
full swing "just 'cuz they can".



I believe that was necessary to get the job done. However, the writing is on the wall to anyone reading it that this was
their screwup.

Also, there is agreement to "Seal and Destroy" arrest records per 851.8PC  /  FFI
http://ia311025.us.archive.org/2/items/gov.uscourts.casd.308072/gov.uscourts.casd.308072.25.1.pdf

1.  FFIs also negate deriving any meaning such info.  It's the same as if they arrested the wrong "Joe Smith" #529 instead
of #73.  Nobody cares.  Mr. Wolanyk seems happy with this - and he's the client being represented.   A person with
only an FFI such as this should not have any drama with employment, etc.

2.  This settlment again has practical consequences.  We are aware other agencies are now on notice, plus if
there's further similar drama we can "go 1983".   1983s are best after 'pattern of behavior' instead of on a
single datapoint.


As far as the Gpal moniker stuck on the email footer, that is indeed some unfortunate file residue and Kestryll
is fixing that. It's part of the email blast system that was set up some time ago.  Sometimes when you're an all-
volunteer org little administriva things slip up.  

In no way has Ben Cannon been part of CGF since beginning of year, and concerns about GPs operations
(and certainly lack of speed/communications) were expressed apparently without their being digested and
esp as early teething pains (which would be understandable in a startup) seem to have become of a different
nature later in the year, or at least the entire lack of friggin' communication has made it seem that way.


-Bill

Yes, that's correct... More interesting though is that he even mentioned that "oops" that email was sent to Ben Cannon to be sent out via the automated system... (as was the past practice with such things) so... Ben is the one who sent that email actually... you can find that posting on the behemoth castboolits thread where it was admitted to by one of the GCF board members, I forget who now, but it's there!!! Perhaps someone can refresh my memory? was it "the quark?"
Mike B
ETA: here is the posting... HERE

Don't know you Bill but it sure looks like you're in damage control mode - wasting space and time here as far as I am concerned because calguns was and is complicit in gunpal crimes against Americans.   I'm done there and I suspect ultimately you guys will be building yourselves a new customer base (best case scenario) over there at calguns because ot his mess and your reponse to it.






That post pretty much seals it for me....as the poster talks of "letting Cannon back in..."   after he clears this stuff up.  

To me, you simply don't ever involve yourself with a scumbag like Cannon once he is outed.  You take the loss if necessary, but you get clear and stay clear of him forever.   The fact that CalGuns was or is planning on reinstating this guy to (even) membership status after the smoke clears is evidence to me that all of those runnning CalGuns have huge character issues.  

Wow looks like the Calguns mods are working over time now that the long time members are trying to call out the Gpal shills and questioning Kestryll's judgement of such post/thread deletions.
 

Bill W, how do you justify having Kestryll remain a director at CGF? His actions on the forum reflect on the foundation.

If CGF is serious about its mission, it will flush anyone that is involved with the administration/ownership of the forum.  Until then it looks like a bunch of buddies playing word games to claim no association with the other's bad deeds.

I see very civil talk here, but slightly off topic calguns hasnt taken money from me, but since your defending him how about it Bill you wanna give me my $68? One less complaint is one less its been four months now, with all the money Ben has stolen from us, whoever is holding the money has probably gained that much in interest by now.

So I did some homework on what it would take to start up a company like the "Pals".



Very interesting findings... It's not that Visa and Mastercard hate firearms in general, they hate "Payment Aggregators" more. The business model has very high risk of fraud and charge backs so 99.9999% of merchant service providers will flat out tell you HELL NO when applying. I think GPal might have misstated their business purpose in order to get the merchant and ACH accounts and then got slapped with fees, jacked up rates, reserves and fines from Visa (Which is where the money went).



They're most likely trying to recoup the losses and get back on their feet, Peter vs. Paul while paying off fines at the same time. There's a reason why there are very few Paypal's in business, the rest of the guys go offshore to European Banks.



Here's a brief article on the situation with Aggregators... http://www.braintreepaymentsolutions.com/blog/high-risk-mechant-account-third-party-payments-aggregation

Sadly it's not just kestryll......CGN/CGF leadership network hyped and pushed Ben and his scheme on the very people they claim to represent. Now that his ship is sunk, they are trying to distance themselves.Make no mistake, they are on Ben side regardless of what they say or write. The ties run deep. I remember many CGF board members belittle victims of Ben not long ago. Glad they do not represent me.Any organization that promote a swindler has lost all respect, Calguns group is one of them.

Exactly.