After passage of Ohio's concealed carry law, Bob Taft, who opposed concealed carry reform for years after first being elected on a promise to pass it, and who contributed to the insertion of several poison pills in an attempt to kill it before attempting to take credit for it once final passage became inevitable.

January 27, 2004

The OSU Lantern

Gov. Bob Taft intended on taking a bite out of Ohio's crime on Jan. 8, when he signed a legislative bill to legalize the carrying of concealed handguns.

In an effort to prevent crime rates from rising, the Ohio legislature has followed the lead of 45 other states by upholding the Second Amendment as a constitutional right mandated by every law-abiding citizen.

Orest Holubec, spokesman for Taft, said the governor's decision to sign the bill was partially linked to the statistics of declining crime rates in other states.

For the first time in 30 years, the state of Michigan has experienced a 60 percent decrease in its crime polls, which is attributed to the legalization of concealed weapons.

"It has proven to be rather beneficial in other states and has significantly decreased crimes. The governor has always supported the right to bear arms and has received a great amount of support from many Ohioans," Holubec said.

Excusably skeptical of Bob's sudden conversion, we noted at the time that Taft would have the chance to prove his "conversion" when we begin work with legislators to "reform the reform", and remove the terrible, invasive, and sometimes even dangerous provisions which were inserted by his hand.

That time is now, and early signs point to a regression to form.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

There are more stories pertaining to our gun rights in Ohio then we can possibly draw attention to with individual daily commentary. But they are worthy of comment.

With that in mind, the following is what I hope can become a weekly look at headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for seven days of headlines and pro-gun analysis.

Ohio gun owners have long warned an Ohio GOP that seemed all too ready to defend their support for anti-gun, increasingly left-leaning candidates, that they should not take pro-Second Amendment grassroots support for granted. And they have long wondered what might happen if Democrats realized the political error of their institutional support for gun control and began backing pro-gun candidates.

The Associated Press is reporting that Paul Hackett, the pro-gun Iraq War veteran has decided to challenge Mike DeWine for U.S. Senate in 2006.

From the story:

Spokesman David Woodruff, who served as Hackett's campaign manager in his special election campaign for the 2nd District House seat against Jean Schmidt, confirmed Hackett's run Monday evening. Hackett had spent the last month hinting at a run against Ohio's senior senator, who is in his second six-year term.

Hackett was flying back Monday evening from Washington after meeting with Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee, Woodruff said.

Reid's spokeswoman, Tessa Hefen, would not confirm or deny the meeting Monday, but Woodruff later said Reid gave Hackett the confidence to run.

"He found overwhelming support from the leaders of the Democratic Party, campaign organizations and staff," Woodruff said.

DeWine campaign manager Matt Carle said DeWine has a a good record as a senator and "we look forward to presenting that record to the voters next year."

During his failed Congressional campaign last year, Hackett said "I've gone against the grain in the Democratic party. There isn't a bigger gun enthusiast than me." Hackett also announced that he had obtained his Ohio concealed handgun license.

Mike DeWine now has a serious problem. With Paul Hackett on the left and John Mitchell on the right, voters are now going to be able to vote pro-gun on either side of the ticket. This news speaks volumes about the power of pro-gun grassroots advocacy, and volumes about how much trouble anti-gun Senator Mike DeWine is really in.

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