by Chad D. Baus

The Dayton Daily News is reporting that according to a DDN analysis of permit data, opinion polls and interviews with firearm and criminal justice experts, more women in the Miami Valley are choosing to purchase and carry handguns for protection, reflecting a national trend.

From the article:

More than one in five who have applied to carry concealed handguns in Butler, Greene, Miami, Montgomery and Warren counties are women, and owners of local gun stores and shooting ranges say women are increasingly participating in training and target practice.

Although violent crime continues to decline in the region, experts said more women are choosing to pack heat because it is becoming more culturally acceptable, and they are also worried about their safety.

"We are seeing more women and that's a good thing because they are the ones who need it," said John Thyne, principal owner of Peabody Sports in Kettering.

After citing national statistics which show an upward trend in firearms ownership overall, and according to Gallop more sharply among women (23 percent of women say they own a gun, up from 13 percent in 2005), the article continues:

Under Ohio law, concealed-carry permits are not public records, but the Dayton Daily News was able to obtain data about the number of permits issued by gender. However, not all sheriff’s offices could produce the same type of information.

In 2011, women accounted for 459 of the 2,029 new and renewal concealed-carry permits issued in Montgomery County, according to the county sheriff’s office.

The share of permits held by women increased to 22.6 percent last year from 18.4 percent in 2010. Warren County issued 349 active concealed- carry licenses to women in 2011, up from 328 in 2009, according to the Warren County Sheriff's Office.
About one in five concealed-carry permits ever issued in Greene and Miami counties were for women, according to permit data.

In 2011, about one in four concealed-carry permit applications in Butler County were from women, according to Daily News tabulations. Of the 1,623 conceal and carry permit applications in 2011, 436 were for females.

The article notes that while violent crime is down across the country, about 49 percent of the victims of violent crime are women, according to the National Crime Victimization Survey.

For the Ohio primary election, you must choose which party's elections you want to vote in - you can not vote in more than one. We have grouped the tables in the voter guide by party to assist you.

NOTE: The endorsement committee focused on contested primary races, given that voters are given a choice in those races. When we have a candidate survey, but no other information to go on, the highest grade a non-incumbent can earn is a Aq.

Buckeye Firearms Association endorsements are focused primarily on state-level races. We also endorse in some local races. Buckeye Firearms Association does not endorse in all federal office elections. (For federal NRA-PVF endorsements, click here.) We may issue endorsements to candidates for federal office that we have endorsed in prior elections or a candidate we have worked with on Second Amendment issues. Buckeye Firearms Association also reserves the right to address any political race with such importance, we feel compelled to endorse.

by Chad D. Baus

In a media report Monday, January 23, City of Fremont Police Chief Tim Wiersma misstated Ohio gun law. In a Thursday phone conversation with Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine, Wiersma said he has spent the rest of the week answering phone calls and letters from citizens seeking to correct him.

In the WTOL (CBS Toledo) report on how one of his department's officers had two guns and five magazines stolen from his Toledo home, Chief Wiersma stated that he was more concerned about the theft because one of the guns had a larger magazine capacity than that allowed for civilian use.

From WTOL:

Fremont's Police Chief Tim Wiersma said it is a concerning crime because it endangers the public.

"The heightened concern is the bigger, larger capacity for the magazines. Police have a 15 round magazine, and the legal limit for a civilian is nine. So, there's six more bullets," said Wiersma.

by Jim Irvine

Recently, leaders of Buckeye Firearms Association met to discuss and plan the coming year. Concealed carry and firearms legislation, elections and endorsements, and fun events were all on the agenda. It's going to be an exciting year.

Events

On the events front, we start with the Buckeye Bash on February 11. This event is a huge amount of work for us, but the items for auction continue to come in and I'm really looking forward to a fun evening.

Register now to attend this event!

Later this year, we will hold shooting events at Oxford, and one with Dave Spaulding similar to last year's.

We will have Dave Grossman back this fall in the Cincinnati area to present his "Bullet-proofing the Mind" seminar.

We are also looking into hosting a shooting event between Columbus and Cleveland, and possibly a fall shoot that will be fun and something completely different.

Finally, Buckeye Firearms Foundation will again sponsor a youth shooting event.

Legislation

by Gerard Valentino

The Canton Repository reported recently that notorious Canton Police Officer Daniel Harless, who was caught on his own police dash cam video verbally assaulting a concealed carry license holder, was a no-show at his latest disciplinary hearing. So, despite berating an honest citizen for lacking responsibility, when faced with taking responsibility for his own actions, Officer Harless chose to be cowardly and hide.

Officer Harless claims to be mentally disabled and unable to help with his own defense. Yet, the Canton Police Department deemed him well enough to testify at a recent murder trial. So, he either testified at a murder trial despite a serious mental issue, or he is exploiting the idea of being mentally ill for his own gain.

Neither option reflects well on Harless, or the people advising him.

Have you ever noticed the red number that appears at the end of every page on this website? That number shows how many "reads" the article has, a fairly accurate reflection of the article's popularity.

As we say goodbye to 2011, we can't help but reflect on what news stories most interested people, what topics most angered or inspired our readers.

Here are the 10 most-read stories on this website over the past year:

10. What to do if you are involved in a shooting - At number ten with over 10,000 reads, Ken Hanson's clear advice to gun owners boils down to this: If you're involved in a shooting, keep your mouth shut.

9. Presidential-hopeful Rick Perry's Gun Control Policy: 'Use Both Hands' - Republican candidates for 2012 aren't saying much about guns. However, this video story shows how one candidate feels about the issue, pulling in over 10,500 reads.

Earlier this month, the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that, in a recent fundraising letter addressed "Dear Fellow Gun Rights Activist," Ohio's Republican state treasurer touts himself as a "proud pro-gun candidate" for U.S. Senate.

From the article:

"When it comes to the defense of my own home and wife Ilana, I'm the proud owner of a Berretta handgun and a Marlin .22 caliber rifle," writes the Beachwood resident.

The letter includes the slogan "When Washington is broken ... Send in a Marine" -- a reference to Mandel's two tours of duty in Iraq. The letter also asks for campaign contributions of up to $2,500 to be mailed "right away" with a "Protect Gun Rights Reply Form."

"Endorsed by the NRA and the Buckeye Firearms Association throughout my career, my record of standing up for the Second Amendment speaks for itself," Mandel writes.

The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram reported recently that a spate of violence in the area, combined with law-enforcement cutbacks and culminating in the shooting of a sheriff's deputy, is contributing to a boost in sales of firearms and a rise in concealed handgun license applications.

From the article:

The shooting of a sheriff's deputy in LaGrange Township on Monday night was the last straw for Dee and Dennis Telzerow of Pittsfield Township, who purchased a handgun Tuesday at Bullseye Firearms.

All in all, about 20 brand-new customers visited the gun shop on Tuesday compared with one or two unfamiliar customers on a normal day, said store owners Rick and Stephanie Guyeska.

For the Telzerows, the sights and sounds of cruisers rushing to the scene of the shooting Monday was quite frightening, they said.

"Not too long ago there were a couple break-ins not far from us, and with the cutbacks in law enforcement, I just think it's time to bear down and protect what you've got," Dennis Telzerow said.

By Chad D. Baus

While there is far too much to cover in a single article, we reflect on some of the important events of 2011.

January:

The year begins with a chorus of media editorials cheering the death of Senate Bill 239, the restaurant and car carry bill that was killed at the hands of then-Speaker Armond Budish (D), who broke a promise to gun owners and refused to call the legislature back into session and allow a vote on the legislation. Little do they know that a mirror copy of the bill, introduced within days of the editorial blitz, will be passed by the newly constituted, Republican-dominated legislature and signed into law just six months later.