Republican Greg Gianforte sold his cloud computing company RightNow Solutions to Oracle, a company slated to help build a gun registry in California. (Photo: Gregformontana.com)
Greg Gianforte, a Republican candidate for Congress who criticized his opponent for a gun registry idea, once made millions from a company that will soon build a similar system.
In 2012, Gianforte earned between $300 million to $400 million when he sold RightNow Technologies to Oracle, a company slated to help build a gun registry for the implementation of a new law in California, The Intercept reported.
Gov. Jerry Brown signed California’s Assembly Bill 857 last year. The law, which will take effect next July, requires anyone in California who makes a gun to first register with the state’s Department of Justice, and then affix a serial number to the weapon. Law enforcement and gun control advocates supported the measure, which seeks to stop prohibited gun owners from manufacturing their own weapons at home.
According to a budget request from the state’s Bureau of Firearms, Oracle is listed as a contractor to supply servers and software for the state’s new registry. As many as 75,000 firearms could be registered in the first year.
On May 25, Gianforte will face Quist in a special election to fill Ryan Zinke’s congressional seat. Zinke was tapped by President Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the Interior Department. Last week, Gianforte released an attack ad on his opponent.
“Rob Quist wants to establish a national gun registry. Your name, your address, your guns, in a big government computer, making it easier for federal bureaucrats to grab your guns,” says a deep-voiced narrator. “It’s time to fight back.”
A computer screen showing a dramatization of Quist’s gun registry sits on a desk in a field. The screen flashes “confiscate,” because, as the narrator warned, the bureaucracy is coming for your guns. And that’s when Gianforte shoots the screen.
“Some folks just don’t get it. Our Second Amendment rights are not up for negotiation,” says Gianforte.
Not to be outdone, Quist released an ad where he shoots a television showing Gianforte’s ad. “For generations, this old rifle has protected my family’s ranch,” said Quist, as he loads his gun.
“I won’t stand by while a millionaire from New Jersey tries to attack my Montana values.”
According to Federal Election Commission filings, at least three Oracle employees have donated to Gianforte’s campaign.
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