The Toledo Blade is reporting that the Ohio Supreme Court voted 5-2 (Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Justice Judith Ann Lanzinger dissenting) against hearing the appeal of Bruce Beatty, who was convicted of carrying a concealed handgun into Toledo's Ottawa Park in protest of a city ordinance.

From the story:

The move upholds lower-court rulings that Toledo's prohibition on firearms in public recreation areas did not conflict with the state's concealed-carry law at the time Bruce Beatty was ticketed on April 9, 2005.

Although Mr. Beatty's conviction will stand, the larger issue is probably now moot. The Ohio General Assembly late last year passed a new concealed-carry law that forbids cities from enforcing local gun laws considered more restrictive than state or federal law.

The state's law does not include public parks among government buildings, schools, and other places where guns are off limits.

Beatty told the Toledo Free Press he would pay the City of Toledo the fine and court costs resulting from the citation, which he estimated would be $96.

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By Larry S. Moore

On January 16, the Washington Post reported 20 labor unions with nearly 5 million members are joining forces with a Republican-leaning umbrella group of conservationists -- the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership -- to put pressure on Congress and the Bush administration.

From the story:

The Union Sportsman's Alliance, to be rolled out in Washington on Tuesday after nearly three years of quiet negotiations, is to be a dues-based organization ($25 a year). Its primary goal is to increase federal funding for protecting wildlife habitat while guaranteeing access for hunters and anglers.

The unlikely marriage of union and conservation interests comes at a time when the Bush administration, with its push for oil and gas drilling in the Rocky Mountain West, has limited public access to prime hunting and fishing areas on federal land. This has triggered a bipartisan backlash from sportsmen and conservation groups, as well as from Western politicians in both parties.

The strength of that backlash is making bedfellows of blue-collar workers and old-guard conservationists, who historically have shared little but suspicion and disdain.

"We can make the union movement and environmentalism compatible and not antagonistic," said Tom Buffenbarger, president of the International Association of Machinists. "As of late, an awareness has grown that our goals are the same. We want good air, clean water and access to the outdoors."

Jim Range, chairman of the board of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, which includes most of the nation's mainline hunting and fishing groups, said his organization forged an alliance with the unions in large measure because of their manpower, money and lobbying savvy.

"It opens up a tremendous amount of territory for us to work on the both sides of the aisle," Range said. He predicted that the alliance will create a sudden and historically unique influx of millions of new people to the cause of land conservation.

At first glance this article and coalition between the Theodore Roosevelt group and unions sounds exciting. Perhaps hunters and sportsmen from the union ranks could be attracted into the conservation arena also. Upon closer examination and analysis, however, I think there are some serious questions to be examined.

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This Saturday, January 27, 2007 Garner Auction Center in Carrollton, Ohio will auction off over 300 firearms.

Whether you are interested in pistols, revolvers, rifles or shotguns, there is something for you. Most are used, but some are new in original box. There are even a few knives and other accessories to be sold.

Auctions generally have a large variety of items. They come in different types and conditions so there is generally something of interest for everyone. Some guns sell for under $100, and others go for $15,000 or even $20,000 dollars. Interested buyers can preview the items on Friday from 4-7 PM or Saturday morning. You can see a picture of each item and bid at Proxibid.com.

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