[Editor's Note - several Buckeye Firearms Association leaders are on hand in Houston this week for the NRA meetings. If you see them, be sure to say "hi!".]

by Jim Shepherd

[Today begins] the one hundred and forty second edition of the NRA's Annual Meeting & Exhibitions. The booths are up, prepped and ready for a crowd anticipated to be larger than last year's 72,000+ in St. Louis.

It will be the equivalent of a three day love fest for firearms and the Second Amendment-on the inside.

Outside the convention center, the storm of controversy over firearms rights continues as the mainstream media has already started whipping their favorite target, the nameless, faceless National Rifle Association.

The realization that many of today's so-called journalists have taken the anti-gun movement's dogma as absolute truth makes it easier to understand why they are so quick to brand nearly five million fellow citizens as "the cause of the violence problem in America" while routinely giving passes to governors who make statements knowing they are patently false. They're equally quick to hop on any story that portrays gun owners as less-than-desirable citizens.

I don't know about you, but I really don't consider myself part of "America's problem" with anything except aging. And I'm certainly not buying their whining about not being able to pass anti-gun legislation when "90% of Americans want something done about guns."

by Chad D. Baus

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that Devante L. Michael, 19, and Alexander C. Pinkston, 22, were sentenced to 20 years in prison after both men pleaded guilty in March to aggravated robbery and felonious assault with gun specifications. Last October, then men attempted to rob a man who, as it turned out, wasn't just another helpless victim.

From the article:

The scars on his torso are a constant reminder of the armed robbery in which Chuck Blevins was shot last year.

Blevins, who has a concealed-carry permit, responded by drawing his gun and returning fire, wounding both of the men who were robbing him on a Near East Side street corner.

He lifted his shirt yesterday in a Franklin County courtroom to show a judge the entrance wound, the exit wound and the scars from the surgeries he endured. Surgeons repaired his stomach and removed part of his upper colon where the bullet tore through, he said.

by Chad D. Baus

The Toledo Blade is reporting that a local gun shop's sponsorship of a youth baseball team in Bedford Township, just across the border from Toledo in Michigan, has some parents crying foul about "the message it sends."

From the article:

Todd Bruning wanted to sponsor the Cubs because his two children play on the team. But when players got their jerseys Thursday, some parents were upset that the name of Mr. Bruning's business — Todd's Guns of Lambertville — adorned the front of the shirt.

Coach Barry Walters said he wouldn't let his son wear the jersey. He disagrees with gun shop advertising with a kids' team, especially after the Sandy Hook massacre in Connecticut that left dozens dead at the elementary school.

"Don't use my kid as a billboard to promote guns," he said.

by Jim Irvine

Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) has released the concealed handgun license (CHL) statistics for the first quarter of 2013. Almost every record regarding concealed carry was broken last quarter. No matter how you measure it, despite what President Obama and Bloomberg say, Americans don't want more gun control, they want more guns, and the ability to carry them in more places.

Demand for CHLs skyrocketed in the first three months of this year. Demand was up a whopping 87% over the same period last year, which had been the all-time record for a first quarter. Demand even exceeded the initial surge from the very first quarter of the CHL law back in 2004. Ohio sheriffs issued 37,777 CHLs during the quarter, including 31,407 regular CHLs, 6,354 renewals, and 16 Temporary emergency Licenses (TEL’s). Demand was so high that it exceeded the entire yearly totals for 2005, 2006 or 2007.

2012 was a record setting year, with 76,810 CHLs and renewals issued by Ohio sheriffs. We are just shy of the half-way point in only the first three months of 2013. The second quarter is normally the busiest of the year for CHL licensing. If that holds true this year, we will have set a new record for total licenses issued in a year in the next 60 days. That is an amazing increase in demand.

It is always difficult to assign specific reasons for behavior, but there is no denying that we have seen strong demand for CHLs since Governor John Kasich signed SB17 (Restaurant & Car Carry Rules Fix) and HB54 (Restoration of Rights) legislation into law. In December he signed HB495 (Concealed Carry Modernization) again making the program function better. As we have seen many times in Ohio, when the law is improved, the demand for training and licenses increases.

Since the Sandy Hook killings, President Obama, along with leaders of the Democrat Party in Washington and Mayor Michael Bloomberg have continued their strong anti-gun rhetoric. They were successful in forcing votes on several anti-gun bills/amendments in the U.S. Senate. They seemed convinced that they would succeed, and it's probably safe to assume that many citizens feared they would enact gun control measures. That fear helps drive gun and ammunition sales, as well as people getting a CHL. As they continue to keep demanding that law-abiding citizens must give up their rights, expect to see heavy demand for firearms-related purchases. It seems the record sales in the firearms industry is one section of the economy that President Obama can rightly take credit for. Many gun stores across the country now display his image with the words, "Salesman of the Year."

At the end of the March, there was an all-time record of approximately 351,249 Ohio residents licensed to carry concealed firearms. The total number of persons with Ohio concealed handgun licenses continues to climb above the quarter of a million mark set a year and a half ago. Some will say that the huge numbers are because of renewals, and there were over 6,000 renewals in the quarter, but there were over 31,000 new licenses issued. Even without the renewals, that would still have been an all-time record.

Approximately 9,540 licenses expired during the quarter. We are now into the quarter that the first renewals for people who obtained their license in the initial surge will be expiring. Over 70% of all licenses issued have been renewed. Over 22,000 CHLs will expire during the second quarter this year, so sheriffs will continue to be busy. Anyone needing to renew should contact their sheriff early in case they need to wait for months to get an appointment.

There were 16 temporary emergency licenses (TEL) to carry a concealed handgun issued in the quarter, about average compared to prior years. TELs are only valid for 90 days and cannot be renewed. TELs are issued to persons who need to carry a firearm for protection, but don't have time to obtain the required training. Applicants must apply with their sheriff, pay a fee and pass a background check. The 90 days allows them time to obtain training and apply for a regular license. After issuance, a person must wait four years before they qualify for another TEL.

Even with record number of CHLs, there were only 64 licenses revoked during the quarter, the lowest quarterly number in over a year. Prospective students are reminded that the application contains an affidavit where the student swears that he/she has received the appropriate training. Signing a false affidavit can subject persons to felony prosecutions and a permanent loss of firearms rights.

Less than six tenths of one percent of all CHLs have ever been revoked for any reason, including death or moving out of state. Big media love to make a big deal about the exceptional cases where a CHL breaks the law, but say almost nothing about the more than 99% of law-abiding license holders, many of whom have used their gun to protect life.

by Chad D. Baus

The Huffington Post is circulating an email to Ohio residents seeking to "document the nationwide impact of gun violence."

Wednesday, April 24, 2013
A Message From The Huffington Post

Hello from HuffPost Open Reporting -

This is a one-time email to our readers in Ohio.

We're working on a project to document the nationwide impact of gun violence, and we need your help.

Since the shooting in Newtown, Conn., on December 14, The Huffington Post has tracked and recorded more than 2,240 deaths across America as a result of gun-related homicides and accidental shootings.

If you or someone you know has ever been affected by gun violence, we want to hear your story.

Give us a call at 860-348-3376, and you can record your story in your own words. Please be sure to include your name and phone number. Or you can send us a note at openreporting@huffingtonpost.com (or just reply to this email).

We will never publish your name or any identifying details without your permission.

Thanks for your help,
The HuffPost Open Reporting Team

While we suspect that this liberal news media outlet is seeking to collect the same type of anti-gun rights rhetoric that BarackObama.com and the President's campaign arm Organizing for Action sought to collect back in February, we thought it might be worth sending them a little information on the other side of the coin - namely on how the use of guns has contributed to saving and protecting lives.

Research shows firearms are used to protect lives as many as two million times every year. "Armed citizen" accounts are published in gun rights magazines monthly. There are also entire websites and blogs devoted to sharing these stories.

Here at BuckeyeFirearms.org, a complete list of known incidents involving Ohio CHL-holders defending themselves is available here.

And yet the BarackObama.com folks haven't see fit to post even one "gun violence" story that shows the benefits of an armed citizenry, nor do I expect The Huffington Post to.

Since I have little expectation it will ever be published at HuffPo, I thought I'd share a message sent to openreporting@huffingtonpost.com by Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine:

by Chad D. Baus

WHIO (CBS Dayton) is reporting that "churches across the country and here in the Miami Valley are responding to violence by putting their trust in God and taking security into their own hands."

From the article:

At Phillips Temple in Trotwood, armed security guards routinely patrol the church grounds and stand watch inside during services and events. It is a visible presence that Pastor James Washington considers a necessary deterrent from evil.

"The Bible calls it lawlessness. It's just a complete disregard for what's right and wrong and what's legal and what's not," said Washington.

Police cruisers surrounded an Ashtabula, Ohio church on Easter Sunday after a man walked in with a handgun and fatally shot his own father. There were 135 deadly force incidents at places of worship across the country in 2012. Four people have died in 11 shooting incidents so far this year.

"Let's get people trained and certified so that if we have a serious incident here, we can respond immediately," said Mark Stusek, a church security consultant.

Stusek, aretired Dayton Police Officer, founded Glory-2-God Solutions, designing special classes for pastors and church leaders.The students not only qualify for their concealed carry licenses, but they become Certified Security Officers trained on how and when to engage an active shooter.

Jon Faulkner of Beavercreek said, "People are trying to evaluate circumstances they find themselves day in and day out at work, church, even their home, the mall and trying to figure out if something went wrong, what would I do?"

Toby Hoover, who often appears to be a one-woman show at the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, is quoted as saying that having trained, armed church-goers provides nothing but "a false sense of security." (Unfortunately, the reporter who recorded the quote apparently failed to ask Hoover if she thought it was a "false sense of security" that saved potentially hundreds of lives at New Life Church in Colorado.)

This isn't Hoover's first such attempt to insert herself into discussions over the measures places of worship should take to protect their members.

by Jeff Knox

The state of Illinois is the only state in the union that does not offer provisions for regular citizens – those who are not law enforcement or security guards – to carry a gun in public.

Last December, the US Court of Appeals for the 7th Circuit ruled that the ban is unconstitutional and gave the state 180 days to come up with an acceptable framework for citizen carry. Now, if the legislature and governor do not implement a plan June 8 of this year, the laws banning carry will simply become null and void effectively giving the state "Constitutional Carry," i.e. unregulated carrying such as currently exists in Vermont, Alaska, and Arizona. Chances of that happening are slim, however the journey from the current prohibition to the final system promises to be an interesting journey.

Illinois citizens have been fighting for years for the right to carry legally. Several times in the past few years have come close, but each time it has been shot down by the Chicago-Cook County political gangsters. So the citizens in "downstate" Illinois – everywhere outside of the Chicago area – which is mostly stereotypical small town, middle-America, have been held hostage by the powers that be in the state’s urban center.

In order to get at least some form of lawful defensive carry available to regular citizens, rights advocates in Illinois have worked diligently building coalitions, making concessions, and agreeing to all manner of strict limitations, exorbitant fees, and overbearing government control over a concealed carry licensing system. Their hope was that once any form of concealed carry was authorized, citizens, police, and politicians would see that legally armed citizens were a benefit, not a risk – just as has been proven in the other 49 states – and possibly the law could then be improved. That approach made sense when Chicago held all the cards, but times have changed. With the 7th Circuit’s decision, Illinois rights advocates are now in total control – or at least they should be.

Rather than taking advantage of the dramatic shift in leverage provided by the 7th Circuit's ruling, leaders of the rights movement in the state seem to be stuck in the rut they've carved over the past 50 years. They have continued trying to curry favor with police groups and skeptical politicians, even though there is no advantage in doing so. In fact, the demands of the leading rights organizations in the state have barely shifted since the 7th Circuit’s decision was handed down. To their credit, rights supporters have drawn a line in the sand on "shall issue" (which requires authorities to issue a license to anyone who meets the statutory requirements) versus "may issue" (which gives local law enforcement discretion to deny a license for almost any reason – or no reason at all), but they continue to agree to excessive fees, extensive – and expensive – training requirements, intrusive and redundant background checks, and dangerous requirements such as a duty to alert police to one's lawfully concealed firearm.

This last item is particularly troublesome for gun owners living in the Chicago area where the Chief of Police has declared that his officers will treat any armed person as a serious threat until the person can prove otherwise. That means the police are likely to draw their guns, put the person face-down on the ground, frisk, handcuff, and detain them until they can find and verify the person's carry permit – even when the only clue the police have that the person has a gun is that person's obligatory statement to them that they are legally carrying.

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) -- Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine and Ohio Senator Jim Hughes (R-Columbus) today announced new legislation aimed at reducing the number of gun crimes in the state of Ohio. They were joined by Franklin County Prosecuting Attorney Ron O'Brien, whose office has aggressively targeted violent gun crimes.

"During my first year in office as Ohio's Attorney General, it became shockingly clear that too many people were losing their lives to gun violence," said Attorney General DeWine. "We don't want to take guns away from law abiding citizens; instead we want to take the violent offenders away from the guns."

The Violent Career Criminal Act would change current gun specification sentencing laws and increase some penalties for offenders with two or more violent felony convictions.

"This legislation is designed to go after the worst of the worst and take offenders off the streets who prey on women, children, and societies most vulnerable," said Senator Hughes.

"Most of the violent crime that we see in Franklin County involves guns," said Franklin County Prosecutor O'Brien. "If we target those committing gun crimes, especially the violent career criminals, I believe we can both prevent and reduce crime."

Attorney General DeWine formed the Violent Crimes with Guns Advisory Group in 2011 to study the problem of gun violence in Ohio and provide guidance to law enforcement and the legislature on how to best prevent gun crimes.

The group commissioned Ohio State University researcher Deanna Wilkinson, Ph.D., to conduct an in-depth study of Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction and BCI data from 1974 to 2010. The study found that people with two or more violent felony offenses, who make up only .91% of Ohio's adult population, are responsible for 57% of Ohio's violent felony convictions.

COLUMBUS, OH – For the opening day of Ohio's 2013 spring wild turkey season, hunters harvested 2,762 wild turkeys, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR). The 2013 opening day total is a 24 percent increase from the 2012 opening day tally when 2,227 turkeys were killed.

This year, Ashtabula County had the most checked wild turkeys of the opening day with 114 turkeys. Ashtabula County also had the largest number of turkeys harvested during the 2012 opening day.

Ohio's spring turkey season began Monday, April 22, and closes Sunday, May 19. The spring turkey season is open statewide except for Lake La Su An Wildlife Area in Williams County. Find more information in the 2012-2013 Ohio Hunting and Trapping Regulations, available where licenses are sold, and at www.wildohio.com.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife estimates that more than 70,000 people will hunt turkeys during the four-week season. Legal hunting hours are one-half hour before sunrise until noon from April 22 to May 5. Hunting hours May 6-19 will be one-half hour before sunrise to sunset. Ohio's wild turkey population was estimated at 180,000 prior to the start of the spring season.

by Larry S. Moore

I received my annual copy of the Fraternal Order of Police fund-raising letter asking for my support. I've been ignoring these letters for close to twenty years now. I was about to unceremoniously deposit this one into File 13 when I thought maybe I should read it this time. My wife shook her head, noting that my political blood pressure doesn't need any help from the FOP.

The FOP has fought all our legislation for the rights of gun owners, concealed carry and self-defense in Ohio. Some referenced articles from 2003 and 2008 are included below. The FOP is now suggesting that House Bill 8, a placeholder bill that will eventually contain language designed to improve school safety, should instead be used to strip local school boards of the ability to authorize school employees and citizens to carry firearms on school property. It's all about making our schools totally dependent on the FOP members who, far too often, only get to the crime scene after the shooting is over. For more information on this move, see "State FOP proposes stripping ability of boards of education to arm school employees."

So I read the FOP letter to see what else they are doing for "our safety." I didn't have to read very far. The first major bullet point states (in bold), "But police officers don't do their jobs to win accolades -- we do it because everyone is a potential victim." I certainly agree with both sides of this statement. Over many pieces of legislation, I've never heard the FOP submit testimony saying we should be allowed concealed carry to protect ourselves "because everyone is a potential victim." If the FOP really believes this statement, then the FOP should be supporting concealed carry, arming school personnel and promoting self-defense throughout Ohio. Sadly they do not.