Dave Yost implores supporters: Don't let Mike DeWine turn back the clock on gun rights
By Chad D. Baus
If Republican Attorney General candidate Dave Yost has anything to say about it, former Senator Mike DeWine's vehement anti-gun record will be front and center in the upcoming GOP primary battle.
A fundraising letter being circulated by Yost is drawing attention to DeWine's record of support for some of the most radical gun control proposals in the past two decades, and the importance to gun owners of the office to which DeWine now aspires.
Following is the text of the letter, entited "Important message regarding your Second Amendment rights.":
Dear friend:
Remember Mike DeWine? He's the guy who voted for the unworkable Assault Weapons Ban and a host of other laws attacking the Second Amendment.
He's announcing Wednesday that he wants to be Ohio Attorney General - and gun owners should be worried. I need your help to stop him.
This isn't just another political race. When you travel outside of Ohio, your concealed carry license is only valid in those states with a valid reciprocity agreement with Ohio. The Attorney General is the one who decides which states are OK. Do you want to leave that decision to a man who was endorsed by the Brady Campaign?
The race for Attorney General next year could turn back the clock on all of the hard work we've put into restoring and protecting Ohioans' 2nd Amendment rights. I am the only candidate in the race for Ohio Attorney General who is on record in the Unted States Supreme Court, supporting an individual right to bear arms in the Heller case.
Unlike Mr. DeWine - or the current incumbent, for that matter - I believe all constitutional rights are created equal. One constitutional right is no more important than another.
No one would expect you to sit through a waiting period or get a government permit in order to join a church. After all, the right of every American to freedom of religion is clearly stated in the First Amendment. Yet to many lawmakers - including Mike DeWine - those very same restrictions on your 2nd Amendment rights are just fine.
Back when he was still a Senator, DeWine established his record:
- Voted NO on prohibiting lawsuits against gun manufacturers. (Jul 2005)
- Voted NO on banning lawsuits against gun manufacturers for gun violence. (Mar 2004)
- Voted NO on loosening license and background checks at gun shows. (May 1999)
- Voted NO on maintaining current law: guns sold without treasure locks. (Jul 1998)
No wonder he was named to the top 10 list of anti-gun members of Congress - and he was the only Republican on the list.
It's no wonder DeWine eventually lost his bid for reelection in 2006, having been abandoned by his base and by those law-abiding citizens, tired of lawmakers like him substituting their own judgement for the Constitution.
Now he wants to being his Washington ways back to Ohio, as your Attorney General. We can't turn back the clock. We've accomplished more in Ohio over the last ten years than we'd been able to do for decades - and it's the Attorney General who defends Ohio laws against claims that they are unconstitutional - laws like Ohio's new Castle Doctrine. And the Attorney General runs Ohio's concealed carry program.
Do you want Mike DeWine to be your last line of defense for your second amendment rights?
We the people can stop him.
I am running for Attorney General, and I am prepared to win. I will stand up for the rights of all Ohioans - not pick and choose which consitutional rights I deem worthy of my oath. These principles have guided me to the decision to run, and I am resolute.
Your support is crucial to getting our message out to like-minded gun owners. With your help, we can make sure that Ohioans know the truth about Mike DeWine's record.
A donation today of $1000, $500, $250 - or even $25 or $50 - can help us take the important steps toward victory.
I ask you to stand with me and be a part of my team. Let's not look back four or eight years from now and wonder what happened.
The price of freedom is eternal vigilance. I pledge to be that vigilant sentinel on the ramparts. With your help, we can spread the truth, and educate the voters that all constitutional rights matter - and protect the hard-won gains for the Second Amendment.
I hope to hear from you soon.
Sincerely,
Dave Yost
P.S. Anti-2nd Amendment activists continue to try new tactics and persuade Federal judges, who are not accountable to voters, to take away your rights. Even as recently as June 2 of this year, a 7th Circuit Appeals Court Judge ruled that the 2nd Amendment does not apply to state gun regulations. As Ohio Attorney General, I will stay on the front lines of this battle, and not sit idly by and allow our state laws to be rewritten by judicial fiat, or allow the voices of our people to be ignored. Will you join me?
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