Data released by the FBI's National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,016,876 checks in May 2010, ranking the month the second highest May for most NICS checks.

This figure, while being a .6 percent decrease from the 1,023,102 checks conducted in May 2009, is an increase of 14.7 percent over checks in May 2008.

The total number of background checks reported since the beginning of NICS is 115,931,009.

by Jim Irvine

Last week we asked you to make phone calls to your State Representatives in an attempt to move two bills to Governor Strickland before the summer recess. Thank you to each of you who picked up the phone answered our call for action. Unfortunately, we were not successful. Phone calls are no longer needed.

While we share your frustration that Speaker Budish and the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives did not address our concerns before adjourning for the summer recess, and in all likelihood until after the November election, we must also note that we were asking them to skip the normal hearing process and amend our bills into some other piece of legislation that has already gone through the process.

The need for such a move arose because the Republican-controlled State Senate did not pass the bills and send them to the House until last week.

We will continue to work with Speaker Budish and other leadership to express the importance of our issues. It is important that all legislators have positive interactions with gun owners at campaign events or town hall meetings while they are back in district.