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.