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Op-Ed: In The United States, There Is No Such Thing As An Illegal Gun

This the first of a three part series to be featured at Buckeyefirearms.org.

By John Longenecker

I think we need to get on this.

Think about it for a minute. Guns in America are a civil right. Stopping guns everywhere makes about as much moral sense as punishing the Los Angeles Times just because some people defame others, falsely advertise, commit mail fraud or lie under oath.

Is the Second Amendment absolute? Yes, whereas the First Amendment is not absolute. Who would benefit and who would lose if citizens carried handguns a lot, lot more than they do? Citizens would gain, criminals would lose, and demagogic officials would lose.

Immense industries depending on violence would lose.

A lot of people who rightly should lose would lose. Sometimes, for our country to win, some must lose, as part of our national mistake has been to make everyone a winner no matter what. This intimidation has been made to stick and now non-gun owner households are beginning to feel what liberty enthusiasts had predicted: gun control changes the entire complexion of American freedom to the detriment of all Americans, including non-gun owners.

Click on 'Read More' for the entire op-ed.

Idaho town: Proposed ordinance asks each household to have a firearm

Last week, Boise's Fox 12 reported that a small Idaho town is contemplating an idea similar to Kennesaw, GA's successful 1980's crime-prevention technique. It's called the Civil Emergencies Ordinance, and if city council member Steve Jett has his way, each head of household that can legally own a gun, will. Along with that they're encouraged to have ammunition and appropriate training.

    "I think the city council is hoping it will happen and that it will be a deterrent to crime as the city and region increases in population," said Belt.

    The proposed ordinance is modeled after a similar plan that went into place in 1982 in Kennesaw, Ga. In that instance there was a dramatic decrease in criminal activity. Although crime isn't a huge problem for residents of Greenleaf, the growth in neighboring counties leads them to believe they too are in for some changes.

    "There's not a lot of crime here, but I think it's coming, it's getting worse everyday," said Art Bailey, owner of the Greenleaf Store.

    While the plan does encourages firearm ownership, the ordinance goes beyond that.

    "The largest part itself deals with emergency capabilities," said Belt.

    The plan will establish an emergency response plan, and promote its citizen response teams and neighborhood watch volunteer groups, a proactive approach to keep the crime rate to a minimum. So how have residents responded? According to almost everyone we spoke to, they already owned a gun or multiple guns, so this would have no effect on them either way.

In November, the council will decide whether or not to adopt the ordinance.

Pro-Gun Punditry: Wednesday's Buckeye State Roundabout

By Chris Chumita

There are more stories pertaining to our gun rights in Ohio then we can possibly draw attention to with individual daily commentary. But they are worthy of mention.

What follows is our review of headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.
From "Cops Gone Wild" to an NRA victory, these articles should be a part of your required reading!
Click on the "Read More..." link below for several days of headlines accompanied by short, concise pro-gun analysis.