A Constitutional Champion!

Gun Rights Warrior Fights For NRA in California
Chuck Michel’s Latest Case Challenges Ban On Firearms In San Francisco Public Housing

By Rebecca Breyer
Los Angeles Daily Journal 

 Here are two things you might not know about C.D. “Chuck” Michel, a Long-Beach based attorney who often represents the National Rifle Association in high-profile litigation.

 One of his Labrador Retrievers is named Heston, after Charlton Heston of movie and gun-rights fame. His eldest son is named Colton- Colt, for short, after the iconic gun brand.

 The last one, actually, is only partially true. Eleven years ago, when Michel and his wife Sydne were about to have their first son, Chuck wanted to name him Colton so his nickname would be, like the famous firearm, Colt.

 Sydne, who is a deputy city prosecutor in Redondo Beach, wouldn’t hear of it.

 Then, before the birth, the couple traveled to Colts, Neck, N.J. Awed by the sight of actual colts “frolicking in a field,” Chuck said his wife approved the name, and by default, the resulting nickname.

 “When my second son came along, I wanted to name him Glock, but she was wise to me by then,” Michel said.

 Michel opened his own practice in 1993, focusing on firearms law, including: product liability defense for gun manufacturers, defense of individuals in licensing and criminal proceedings, and challenges to city and state laws regulating guns. Others in that niche practice area say he is dedicating to preserving the right to own and carry a gun for the defense of family, self, and home. Even attorneys who have opposed Michel in litigation or because of their ideological point-of-view praise his professionalism.

 Michel, 50, is managing partner of Trutanich-Michel in Lon Beach. His latest lawsuit on behalf of the National Rifle Association came one day after the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision finding an individual right to bear arms, District of Columbia v. Heller, 2008 DJDAR 9813 (http://www.supremecourtus.gov/opinions/07pdf/07-290.pdf). Filed in San Francisco federal court on June 27, the lawsuit charged that a San Francisco Housing Authority lease provision banning weapons of all kinds violates residents’ Second Amendment Rights. Guy Montag Doe v. San Francisco Housing Authority, 08-3112.

 In Heller, Michel co-authored a brief on behalf of 29 California district attorneys who argued civilian gun ownership benefits law enforcement by reducing crime.

 “He’s diligent, hard-working, a creative thinker.” said Christopher A. Conte, legislative counsel for the NRA in Virginia. “He has a genuine passion for what he does and cares about the issue from a civil rights perspective.”

 Michel grew up target shooting with his family in New Jersey. He said he took for granted the right to own a gun. Nearly 40 years later, he turned his appreciation for that right and turned it into a career.