By John Longenecker

Oklahoma state legislator Mike Shelton got my attention this morning. Oklahoma is the latest state to have passed a bill making it illegal for officials to confiscate weapons from citizens in time of emergency, part of the larger Stand Your Ground movement sweeping America.

Other states have passed similar legislation following the debacle in New Orleans where officials took guns from law-abiding homeowners who wanted their weapons for their original purpose: to defend their homes. That time had come, and officials coming to take weapons from the law abiding was just the fear some had imagined.

[A court ordered New Orleans to return the weapons immediately. New Orleans balked and said they didn’t have the weapons. They later admitted that they did, then defied a court order and were found in contempt. They subsequently agreed to return the weapons on the condition that the owners prove ownership and then stand for a background check first. So, in this case, when do the officials decide to obey the law? Another thing people feared had come: official defiance of the law without penalty.]

The Stand Your Ground movement, in my surmise anyway, includes the battle against the abuse of invoking eminent domain, as many states have re-examined eminent domain and have passed laws making it more difficult for authorities to back the confiscation of private property for the investment/so-called better use of others.

May 30, 2007
People's Defender

By Rep. Danny Bubp

It is interesting how events in our lives affect us. When I first arrived in Columbus, it was made clear to me that most legislators have strong opinions concerning Second Amendment rights. There are legislators that are pro-gun and there are those that are not. A recent confrontation has changed one legislator's anti-gun stance.

Earlier this month, a colleague of mine was the victim of an attempted robbery. This legislator was taking a walk near his home when he was approached by two men one of which pulled a gun on him. Fortunately the gunmen did not harm him and were scared off by neighbors responding to my colleague's cries for help. My friend, who has previously voted against legislation allowing Ohioans to carry concealed weapons, was quoted in a major Ohio newspaper, "I've changed my mind. You need a way to protect yourself and your family. I don't want to hurt anyone. But I never again want to be in the position where I'm approached by someone with a gun and I don't have one."

I believe that it is every law-abiding citizen's constitutional right to possess and transport firearms. The Second Amendment to the United States Constitution states, "The right of the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed." The Ohio Constitution states, "The people have the right to bear arms for their defense." It is crucial that responsible citizens be allowed the ability to protect themselves and their family from harm.

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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....

Summertime Fun

By Jim Irvine

Today is the first full day of summer, which is another way of saying the days are now getting shorter. Before the rain turns to snow, we have several months to enjoy some good weather and great times.

Kids are out of school. It’s time to head to the beach, visit Cedar Point or Kings Island and celebrate July 4th. Many of us will travel to other states, visit our local county fair, and do all the things we can cram into our few months of warm weather. Summer is a time to relax a little and have some fun.

Summer is also a time when crime increases. If you have a CHL, it becomes harder to conceal with summertime clothing. Carrying a firearm and obeying all the laws is certainly not always convenient. Most of the times it’s not necessary. But like insurance, you need to carry it all the time, because you can’t predict what day you will need it.

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