Gov. John Kasich signs Restaurant carry bill. Nikki Goeser's gift of
John Lott's "The Bias Against Guns" can be seen at his left.

by Jim Irvine

With the signing of SB17 and HB54, Governor Kasich provided weight to his supporters' assurances that he would be friendly to Second Amendment issues. Kasich signed the two pro-freedom bills into law in the first six months of a legislative session - the fastest any governor has signed bills supported by the NRA and Buckeye Firearms Association.

Kasich campaigned as a candidate who would be friendly toward gun owners. Many were concerned that he would be passive-aggressive on this issue, such as the prior Republican Governor, Bob Taft, who campaigned as pro-gun, then worked to stall and kill concealed carry legislation his first term, signed a watered-down version in his second, and had his veto of statewide preemption overridden in his final days in office. Kasich clearly separates himself from the Taft comparisons and even bests pro-gun stalwart Ted Strickland on how fast he signed favorable legislation after taking office.

Kasich, who received lukewarm treatment from gun groups during the campaign, was warm and gracious during the bill signing. He welcomed representatives from the NRA, Ohioans For Concealed Carry and Buckeye Firearms Association, as well as people personally affected by both pieces of legislation who had testified in support during committee hearings.

On a day when the Governor was signing other significant legislation, it was a nice touch to make time for the people and groups that lobbied for and are directly affected by the new laws. It was a signal that he considers the issue an important one and worthy of recognition.

by Tom Wert

On the drive home from Cincinnati, after attending John Giduck's presentation of "Terror at Beslan," hosted by Buckeye Firearms, several thoughts were running through my mind.

First, the nightly news doesn't even begin to touch on the brutality that terrorists are willing to inflict on innocent children.

Second, I am certain that not only are terrorists planning and training for a school siege in the United States, but that eventually terrorists will execute their plan and attack a school in America.

Third, we, as citizens, are grossly unprepared for an attack on our schools. But is it our responsibility as ordinary citizens to protect our schools? Absolutely! Mr. Giduck offered the motto of Russian Special Forces for us to adopt as our own; "If not me then who?"

So what can a regular Joe do to protect our schools?

By Jim Irvine and Alan Wheeler

On June 11, close to 100 individuals attended a conference on terrorism presented by John Giduck. Buckeye Firearms Foundation made seats available to state and local school board members as well as numerous teachers and administrators at no charge because the topics covered are critical to the safety and security of our schools and the children who attend them. We are grateful to those who took the time to attend, and saddened that more did not take this opportunity to learn vital information affecting the children in their care.

Giduck covered the history of terrorist events from Columbine to Virginia Tech to Beslan and Mumbai. Terrorism is about getting attention. Terrorists seek the attention of government, the public or citizens, other nations and often Muslim extremists to further their agenda.

It is critical that the media give the attack extensive coverage. Al Qaeda often attacks four targets at once to ensure success even if one or two attacks are stopped. There are 600 terrorist groups in the world competing for capital and one failure would make it difficult to obtain the money and people needed for the next attack. Al Qaeda does extensive research and planning for each attack to ensure success. Government cannot detect everything, so it is imperative that citizens be aware and alert to signs of reconnaissance by hostile individuals.

They attack democracies to force changes in government. You cannot change the government in areas such as China and North Korea. This is why terrorists do not have as much to gain by attacking China. It only works in a democracy. They study the culture of those they attack. They know their enemy. They attacked Spain just prior to an election causing a change that resulted in troops being pulled out of Afghanistan.

Terrorists of all shapes and sizes, foreign and domestic, fear the resistance of the target population. For this reason, targets on U.S. soil are generally in “Gun Free Zones” where the general public is disarmed. This greatly increases the probability of success and a larger body count. This is a critical lesson that has fallen on the deaf ears of too many elected officials.

By Rick Jones

I'd like to take a look at what this day might mean to some people...a day off with pay, just a day off, family, friends, cookouts, reunions or just a day to lounge and watch the fireworks. As for me, I think of our Constitution, our founding fathers, our Bill of Rights, our military men and women who are performing their duties to protect our freedom.

"FREEDOM." We say it often, exclaiming our rights by the Constitution and Bill of Rights, but is it really free? Daily, there are people who are ready, willing and able to chip away at our most basic freedoms as guaranteed by the First and Second Amendments to the Constitution, and it is these people who we must fight against. The one that is the most often spoken of, is the First Amendment...the right to free speech, the right to choose the way we want to worship, the right of free press, the right of peaceable assembly, and the right to petition the government for a redress of grievances. This freedom in the First Amendment is the main reason that our forefathers came to this country … to get away from a ruler who wouldn’t allow such freedoms. The First Amendment was of the utmost importance to our founding fathers, and that is the reason it is listed first!

With such freedoms now in place, how will you be able to protect them? It is with the Second Amendment that these freedoms are protected!

Note from Jim Shepherd, Editor of The Outdoor Wire: We first met Frank Miniter at the United States Supreme Court during the historic arguments that preceded the Second Amendment affirming Heller decision. At that time, I didn't know he was already involved in writing a book which documents our gradual surrender of our rights to a government that seems intent on controlling every aspect of our lives. Today, I'm reading Miniter's effort -Saving the Bill of Rights - and I asked him to give our readers an insight into the ways we're slowly allowing our rights to erode. I think you'll find it thought-provoking as we move into the celebration of Independence Day, 2011.

by Frank Miniter

We're losing our Bill of Rights. The reason why is so basic it's overlooked; though Thomas Jefferson warned us about this threat to individual liberty when he wrote, "If a nation expects to be ignorant and free in a state of civilization, it expects what never was and never will be." Jefferson said this in a letter to Colonel Charles Yancey on January 6, 1816. It was the basic truth that we can't retain our liberty unless we first grasp it that impelled me to write Saving the Bill of Rights.

After two years spent in the National Archives researching our founding documents and after interviewing top legal minds and historians, it's clear to me we need to heed Jefferson's warning, as the average American's ignorance of our Bill of Rights is what's allowing the federal government to steamroll over so many of our individual liberties. So as we approach Independence Day in what Francis Scott Key's "Star-Spangled Banner" called "the land of the free and the home of the brave!" I'm hoping people will pick up, if not my book, then at least the U.S. Constitution and acquaint themselves with the basis of our freedom.

Just consider what would have happened if the National Rifle Association, the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and so many others hadn't tirelessly educated, not just their members, but also legislators and the general public about what the Second Amendment clearly protects. If this education hadn't occurred, more lawmakers (and more judges) would have gone along with the Left's lie that the Second Amendment only protects now outdated state militias. Without this fight against ignorance we would have lost our individual right to bear arms. In fact, even with all the historical evidence clearly showing the Second Amendment is an individual right, the U.S. Supreme Court still voted 5-4. And this right could still be lost to the semantic spin of anti-gun activists if just one "conservative" Supreme Court justice is replaced by a "liberal" one.