NRA On the Record
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Member Profile
Buz Mills
Board Member
Biography
Owen “Buz” Mills is the owner of Gunsite Academy, a weapons training facility for members of the armed forces, law enforcement and civilians. Instructors at the facility teach the “Combat Triad,” a firearms discipline focusing on marksmanship, gun handling, and mindset. Shooters who take a two-day class are given a complimentary NRA membership. Courses offered by Gunsite also include a five-day urban sniper course, a “battle rifle” course and a foreign weapons course. Mills is also a former political candidate. He spent $2.3 million as a Republican candidate for governor of Arizona in 2010, before dropping out prior to the primary.
All Statements (2 total)
- In August 2010, Mills assumed the chairmanship of Border Sheriffs, a non-profit organization set up to raise private funds to cover the legal fees of Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, two of the 15 Arizona sheriffs named in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil-rights groups against SB 1070, the Grand Canyon State's controversial anti-immigration law. SB 1070 requires law enforcement to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is “reasonable suspicion” they are not in the U.S. legally. Critics charged that the law welcomed racial profiling of Latinos and was a fundamental violation of their civil rights. Mills saw things differently, remarking, “Instead of solutions, the Obama administration’s aggressive lawsuit has sent a clear message to these Sheriffs and the people of Arizona. We’re not going to protect you and you’d better not try to protect yourself.’ This is unacceptable and intolerable.” He added, "You hear all these stories: Ranchers talking about eight or ten times a day people knocking on their door wanting food or water and the lady of the house lying on the floor with a pistol, praying that they'll go away. There are people whose homes have been broken into 30 times. This is America. How does that happen?"
- In 2002, a Florida Court of Appeals held that Mills defrauded a business partner out of millions of dollars. The business partner was awarded $4.7 million in damages, although the parties later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Mills sent his business partner on numerous vacations while he secretly negotiated a lucrative buy-out of their cell phone tower company. Mills’ partner was then fraudulently induced to sell his minority share for a price that did not reflect the true value of the business. An opinion concurring with the Court of Appeals holding ruled that “Mills managed to keep an additional $9 million of profit out of [the business partner’s] pocket.”
2002-06-21
Statements by Category (2 total)
Immigration
In August 2010, Mills assumed the chairmanship of Border Sheriffs, a non-profit organization set up to raise private funds to cover the legal fees of Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, two of the 15 Arizona sheriffs named in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil-rights groups against SB 1070, the Grand Canyon State's controversial anti-immigration law. SB 1070 requires law enforcement to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is “reasonable suspicion” they are not in the U.S. legally. Critics charged that the law welcomed racial profiling of Latinos and was a fundamental violation of their civil rights. Mills saw things differently, remarking, “Instead of solutions, the Obama administration’s aggressive lawsuit has sent a clear message to these Sheriffs and the people of Arizona. We’re not going to protect you and you’d better not try to protect yourself.’ This is unacceptable and intolerable.” He added, "You hear all these stories: Ranchers talking about eight or ten times a day people knocking on their door wanting food or water and the lady of the house lying on the floor with a pistol, praying that they'll go away. There are people whose homes have been broken into 30 times. This is America. How does that happen?"
Republican Party (GOP)
In August 2010, Mills assumed the chairmanship of Border Sheriffs, a non-profit organization set up to raise private funds to cover the legal fees of Cochise County Sheriff Larry Dever and Pinal County Sheriff Paul Babeu, two of the 15 Arizona sheriffs named in a lawsuit filed by the American Civil Liberties Union and other civil-rights groups against SB 1070, the Grand Canyon State's controversial anti-immigration law. SB 1070 requires law enforcement to determine the immigration status of someone arrested or detained when there is “reasonable suspicion” they are not in the U.S. legally. Critics charged that the law welcomed racial profiling of Latinos and was a fundamental violation of their civil rights. Mills saw things differently, remarking, “Instead of solutions, the Obama administration’s aggressive lawsuit has sent a clear message to these Sheriffs and the people of Arizona. We’re not going to protect you and you’d better not try to protect yourself.’ This is unacceptable and intolerable.” He added, "You hear all these stories: Ranchers talking about eight or ten times a day people knocking on their door wanting food or water and the lady of the house lying on the floor with a pistol, praying that they'll go away. There are people whose homes have been broken into 30 times. This is America. How does that happen?"
Criminal Activity
In 2002, a Florida Court of Appeals held that Mills defrauded a business partner out of millions of dollars. The business partner was awarded $4.7 million in damages, although the parties later settled out of court for an undisclosed amount. Mills sent his business partner on numerous vacations while he secretly negotiated a lucrative buy-out of their cell phone tower company. Mills’ partner was then fraudulently induced to sell his minority share for a price that did not reflect the true value of the business. An opinion concurring with the Court of Appeals holding ruled that “Mills managed to keep an additional $9 million of profit out of [the business partner’s] pocket.”