By Jeff Riley

The Editorial Board of the Toledo Blade has outdone themselves this time and has become hysterical to the point of incontinence. The subject: Internet sales of guns and gun related parts (a legal activity) and the responsible carry of handguns for self-protection by college students.

The editorial, entitled "Trading in death", begins by slandering Eric Thompson, president of TGSCOM Inc. by calling him a merchant of death. In reality, Eric operates one of the largest sites on the web for the purchase of aftermarket parts for Glock handguns. Blaming Mr. Thompson for the actions of others is like blaming your local car dealership for selling a car to someone who kills another in a drunken driving accident. It seems that just like college administrators, the Blade believes that ultimately, people are not responsible for their actions. In their make-believe world, everyone is a "victim" and the mere presence of a firearm can turn otherwise normal people into homicidal maniacs in an instant (one would hate to be at their editorial board meetings, I bet they have to lock up anything sharp).

By Gerard Valentino

To hear the left scoff at the premise that an armed society is a polite society, you would think Americans are uncivilized barbarians just waiting for a chance to shoot each other. Such a backwards thought process isn’t limited to gun control, their distrust of average Americans is rampant in the left’s pantheon of ridiculous beliefs.

Their duplicitous ways are exposed most readily when it comes to guns since they claim to champion the poor and then disarm them in the face of common criminals, and they claim to champion individual freedom except for when it comes to self-defense involving guns. Finally, their absurd notion that if everyone has to carry a gun then it proves society is unsafe flies in the face of common sense. As more people are allowed to carry concealed guns the crime rate and accidental gun death rate still continue to fall.

Senate Bill 184, Ohio's Castle Doctrine bill, has been added to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice's agenda for Wednesday, April 2 at 10:00 a.m. in the Senate Building's North Hearing Room.

This will be the fourth hearing of the bill by this committee.

For more information on Ohio's Castle Doctrine legislation, see: Buckeye Firearms Association Endorses HB264/SB184; Castle Doctrine Legislation.

Thank you for responding to our call to use our Write to Legislators website feature to contact your legislators. Please encourage your friends and family to do the same.

By Ken Hanson

Today's progressive lifestyles often run into an unavoidable conflict with the tactical warrior mindset. Specifically, how does one balance one-shot stopping power with the desire to leave a carbon-neutral footprint?

In an effort to aid the eco-warrior in making environmentally friendly choices in carry gun and ammunition choices, this article will examine defending yourself and your family in the context of ecologically friendly manufacturing processes, components and recycling within the ccw paradigm.

Is a metal gun's manufacturing process more harmful than the fossil-fuel intensive polymer materials in non-metal guns? Is a 9mm steel round greener than a 45 ACP jacketed lead hollow-point, and is there really any difference in the tactical deployment of either round? It's not just about purchasing carbon-offsets anymore!

Let's face it - whether jumping in the Prius to take your recycling to the reclamation center or on the bike to head to Yoga, there are not many green choices when it comes to handguns and accessories. So, like many other areas of environmental defense, it is up to the ecowarrior to be proactive and adopt earth-friendly practices. There is a veritable cottage industry (in the good, New England family business sense and not the monolithic corporate rapist sense) that has blossomed to provide green alternatives to the tactical operator.