NRA-ILA State Legislative Liaison John Hohenwarter earns BFA's Guardian of Freedom Award

Editor's Note: The following remarks were given by Buckeye Firearms Association President Jim Irvine at the 2017 Buckeye Bash in Columbus, Ohio on March 18, 2017.

A few years ago, we began presenting the Guardian of Freedom Award to select individuals who have gone above and beyond in defending and restoring the Second Amendment in Ohio. This is an award that is not given lightly, but is given to someone who sets the high standards of activism.

I’ve been involved in gun rights advocacy for 15 years. David Kopel once told me Ohio has made more progress than any other state in the last 10 years. Part of that is because we started out so far behind. Buckeye Firearms Association gets credit for a lot of that progress, and we are certainly proud to have played our part. But I’d like to mention someone who has been at this much longer than any of us.

Our legislation is generally passed in lame duck, wrecking his hunting trips. I call him on weekends and all hours of the night. I’ve been on the phone with him past midnight many times over the years. He’s been at the Statehouse working until 3:00 AM when that is what it took to get good legislation passed.

In November, we had meetings scheduled with leadership in Columbus, but there was a death on his wife’s family. Knowing the importance of our meetings, he worked all day, drove all night to be in Columbus for our meetings, then drove home to Pennsylvania to pick up his wife to get to the funeral.

He has been in working in Ohio for over 20 years. He also represents the NRA-ILA in several other states. You might notice that Maine and New Hampshire are both Constitutional Carry states. You guessed it – those are two of his states.

He worked all day in Maine yesterday, then flew here to spend his Saturday with us, again away from his family. He has taught me much and made us more effective. Working with him makes Buckeye Firearms Association look good.

We’ve actually held on to his award the past two years because weather prevented him from being with us.

It is with great honor and appreciation that the leadership team of Buckeye Firearms Association and our supporters present the Guardian of Freedom Award to NRA-ILA’s state legislative liaison, John Hohenwarter.