By Chris Chumita

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 all worthy of mention.

What follows is our review of headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.

From a trophy buck to the fight for CCW in Wisconsin, these articles should be a part of your required reading!

Click on the "Read More..." link below for several days of headlines accompanied by short, concise pro-gun analysis.

By Chad D. Baus

The Columbus Dispatch reported this week that two criminals brought a pistol into a church and began robbing churchgoers during Mass.

Due to a state law which prohibits firearms in places of worship, all the victims were unarmed. Thankfully, however, that did not transform at least five of the churchgoers into a victim mindset.

From the story:

Five men old enough to qualify for senior-citizen discounts foiled an armed robber and his accomplice yesterday during the 8 a.m. Mass at Christ the King Church on E. Livingston Avenue.

One churchgoer ended up at Grant Medical Center after being pistolwhipped in the back of the church while services for about 150 went on uninterrupted on the altar.

"Our parishioners are not about to let anyone defile their church," said the Rev. Michael Lumpe, Christ the King pastor. "Kudos to those who didn’t just sit and let it happen."

Click on 'Read More' for further details.

Buckeye Firearms Association has learned that five of our former Endorsees have been appointed, along with two other pro-gun legislators to fill the nine-member Senate Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice, where any firearms law reform bills are likely to be given consideration.

Click on 'Read More' for complete details.

By Chad D. Baus

On January 15, I examined the early 2008 Presidential contenders and their collective (weak) stance on gun rights.

Pro-gun author/ blogger Dave Kopel recently published his own preliminary assessment of some of the people who have been listed as likely or definite candidates, which was published recently at The Volokh Conspiracy.

Following is Kopel's preliminary look at some of the people who have been listed as likely or definite candidates:

Top tier. Nearly perfect pro-Second Amendment records: Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas). Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas), Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.). Former Gov. Jim Gilmore (R-Vir.). Former Gov. Mike Huckabee (R-Ark.).

Very good. Not a perfect record, but still a very positive one overall. Gov. Bill Richardson (D-N.M.). Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.). Former Gov. Tommy Thompson (R-Wisc.). Former Rep. Newt Gingrich (R-Ga.). Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.).

Mixed: Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.)(mostly positive record, except for lead sponsorship of two terrible bills: McCain-Lieberman, a terribly-written bill which would have given the BATFE the authority to administratively eliminate any or all gun shows, and McCain-Feingold, the campaign speech restriction law which significantly affects right-to-arms groups).

U.S. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) recently introduced S. 388--the Senate version of H.R. 226, a national Right-to-Carry reciprocity bill that would provide national reciprocity for state carry licensees. This legislation would allow any person with a valid carry permit or license issued by a state to carry a concealed firearm in any other state if they meet certain criteria. The bill would not create a federal licensing system; it would simply require the states to recognize each other’s carry permits, just as they recognize drivers’ licenses.

For more information on these bills, please visit www.nraila.org/Issues/FactSheets/Read.aspx?ID=189.

Please be sure to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative and ask them to cosponsor and support S. 388 and H.R. 226! You can call your U.S. Senators at (202) 224-3121, and your U.S. Representative at (202) 225-3121.

By Chad D. Baus

Last week, the Toledo Blade reported that an employee who was wounded during a shooting rampage two years ago at DaimlerChrysler AG's Toledo North Assembly plant has filed a lawsuit in federal court against the facility's security firm.

From the story:

Michael Toney, a manager who was among four workers shot by Myles Meyers, claims that Wackenhut Corp. was negligent in allowing the disgruntled employee into the plant with a loaded 20-gauge shotgun.

Tomorrow marks the second year since Meyers opened fire in the plant.

Roy "Tom'' Thacker, 50, a supervisor, was killed and two others - Mr. Toney, 47, and Paul Medlen, 43 - were wounded before Meyers shot and killed himself.

The suit, filed Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Toledo and assigned to Judge David Katz, seeks unspecified compensatory damages and legal fees from the Florida-based Wackenhut Corp.

As I wrote at the time of this incident, when companies prohibit employees who have Concealed Handgun Licenses (CHLs) from bringing their protection on company property, they explain by way of making a lot of promises.

Click on 'Read More' for the full commentary.

They say without the prohibition, there is a risk of misuse, poor judgment or accident by license-holders.

They say the prohibition will make a safer work environment.

The following was submitted to this website as News Commentary. If you are a writer and have material you would like to be considered for publication, please use the SUBMIT News feature. The link can always be found in the top-left info block on the homepage.

By Michael A. Kotch

Determining effective solutions to the violence, which threatens our communities requires real honest efforts to keep us safe. Cosmetic answers to complex problems might present the allusion of safety, yet more suitable solutions to ending violence are required. Guns have been epitomized as the culprit to disorder in society. This shallow explanation for the causes of social disorder has blinded many people from the truth. Stricter gun-control laws will ultimately fail in reducing crime. As a committed educator I am fully aware that the proper guidance of our children, and the acceptance of personal responsibility for our individual actions provides the soundest solution to addressing all forms of violence pervading our communities.

Ronald Reagan once said, “We must reject the idea that every time a law''s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” This statement embraces the very essence of effective laws geared toward preventing gun-related violence. People who use firearms for unlawful and destructive purposes should be held accountable for their heinous actions.

Stricter measures of gun-control will not reduce violence, but holding individuals who are directly responsible for reprehensible crimes will deter the likelihood of these most unfortunate events from occurring in the future. Let''s start blaming criminals responsible for violent actions, and allow the honest, law-honoring gun owner to live his or her life in peace.

By Jim Irvine

Self defense stories are as unique as the individuals involved. I
have read hundreds of such stories and talked personally with many
individuals involved in life and death struggles. Most get no media
coverage, and the ones that do get covered are generally given only a
couple paragraphs that invoke questions, provide few answers and
often contain errors caused by the authors ignorance of the
subject. The result is that most find it "unbelievable" that such
encounters occur 2,500,000 times per year in our country.

In Chris Bird's latest book, "Thank God I had a Gun", he examines 14
encounters. The stories each share the theme that the intended
victim has a gun, but the settings, the actions taken by the
criminals and the intended victims as well as the attitude of the
police are very different. Some things are beyond our control, and
it's useful to learn from the experience of others.

From home invasions to armed robberies of businesses to road rage,
Bird covers a wide variety of situations. In some law enforcement
lauds the actions of the armed civilian, and in another charges the
victim with a crime. Included in this book is the story of Habib
Howard in his family's Toledo carryout, the Indiana Pizza Hut
delivery man who was fired for defending his life with a gun, and a
"Gun totin' Granny" who became a media darling appearing on Good
Morning American and Sean Hannity's radio show.

Click on 'Read More' for the entire review.

Buckeye Firearm Association's web site is seeing an amazing growth in visitors and new articles are being posted several times a week.

This week's "Friday Flashback" is....

Your Job Or Your Life

By Chris Chumita

The State of Ohio took a giant step in restoring its citizens’ Second Amendment rights on January 7th, 2004. On that date, the Ohio General Assembly passed a law that allows citizens to obtain a CHL (concealed handgun license). Safety-minded people were finally able to legally carry a handgun to protect themselves and their loved ones.

However, many law-abiding CHL holders are forced to make a hard decision; their job or their life. Throughout the state, a large number of employers are threatening their employees with termination if they keep a firearm in their vehicle on company property. If the employee complies with the policy, they are left vulnerable to an attack while commuting to and from work.

An employee cannot always quit their job, because their family relies on them for financial security. They often end up playing the odds that they will not be attacked while commuting to and from work. Unfortunately, that decision can leave their family without a mother or father.

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

Editor's Note: Self-described "gun bigot" Roberta de Boer accepted an invitation to a Toledo firing range. She may not have come away a convert (yet?), but personal interactions like these with uninformed journalists are important, and we hope they occur more in the future.

January 21, 2007

By Roberta de Boer

We'd been shooting for a while by the time the amiable chatting started up.

This was Friday morning at the pistol range, where it was Sean Spradlin, me, and some other guy firing in another lane.

Sean and the other guy began the obligatory small talk that often crops up when strangers share a small space. Turned out both men are truck drivers, although Mr. Spradlin currently works as a security guard. And, of course, both men obviously enjoy shooting guns.

"I just started a gun club, actually," said Mr. Spradlin, 36.

"Oh, yeah?" the other guy said.

"Yeah, it's for gays and lesbians and bisexuals and transexuals," he said, quickly adding that anyone could join.

"Yeah? Really. OK," the other guy said. He paused briefly and, before returning his attention to the target, said neutrally: "Hmm. Interesting."

Conversation over.

Well, maybe the commingling of gay rights and gun rights is unexpected, but that's the aim of the Pink Pistols. As the national organization's Web site (pinkpistols.org) explains:

"Socially, the [gay] and shooting communities are both quite similar. Both are often insular and can be closeted, and both have a stereotypical preconceptions about what the other is like."

Pink Pistols was formed in 2000 by a Boston dot.com engineer for both social and self-defense purposes. Its Web site lists five Ohio chapters, including the nascent Toledo group now being organized by Mr. Spradlin, who explained his initial interest by reciting a Pink Pistols motto:

Armed gays don't get bashed.

Click here to read the entire op-ed in the Toledo Blade.