By Chad D. Baus

In the past month, no less than four Ohio children, aged eleven, ten, eight and four, have injured or killed people with firearms. Two of the victims, aged eight and two, were shot by their respective siblings. One of the victims, shot by his eleven year-old neighbor, was seven. Three of the victims died of their injuries.

In all but one case (wherein a four year-old boy shot his 18 year-old babysitter with a shotgun because she had accidentally stepped on his foot) the shootings have been ruled accidental.

The typical reaction from the loudest voices in our society (the establishment media) will be to demand laws that regulate safe storage of firearms (at a minimum) or that make it tougher for people to own firearms at all (more likely). But we've tried it their way for long enough, and the results continue to be written in the blood of our children.

NEWTOWN, Conn. -- Despite a weak economy and slumping retail sales, firearm sales continued to increase in January, continuing an upswing that began after November's election.

Data from the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) show background checks on the sale of firearms jumped 28.8 percent in January when compared to January 2008. The increase follows a 24 percent rise in December and a 42 percent jump in November, when a record 1,529,635 background checks were performed.

FBI background checks are required under federal law for all individuals purchasing firearms from federally licensed retailers. These checks serve as a strong indicator of actual sales.