"I’ve been a hunter all my life" and other phony appeals

By Brian S. Stewart

In the pantheon of cringe-worthy attempts to fabricate 2nd amendment bona fides, presidential candidates of the last several years have provided more than their fair share. From the infamous "Small Varmints"-Gate of the early Mitt Romney campaign to Hillary Clinton’s desperate revelation that she too used to be quite the hunter, I find it fascinating that a love of firearms, however phony, has become part of the electoral checklist for every viable presidential candidate. Unfortunately, too often these displays are just shallow rhetoric by candidates going through the motions.

February 21, 2008
Columbus Dispatch

The Sunday article "Gun-permit renewals near" contained a statement that must be addressed. Dispatch Staff Reporter Randy Ludlow rightly quoted Chief Deputy Steve Martin of the Franklin County Sheriff's Office that there had been no incidents involving concealed-carry license holders during the first four years under the law.

But then Ludlow added, "On the other hand, neither does Martin recall any incidents locally in which a concealed-carry permit holder prevented a crime or captured a criminal."

Concealed-carry license holders -- they are not permits, by the way -- are not law-enforcement officers, nor are we vigilantes. Per the handbook published by the Ohio attorney general, "The law specifically discourages citizens from taking matters into their own hands and acting as law-enforcement agents. This is true even if the person thinks he is performing a good deed by protecting someone or helping law enforcement."

We are law-abiding, responsible Ohioans who rely on ourselves in order to protect ourselves and our loved ones. We are nothing more than that, and any reference otherwise is unfair.

Michael Bott
Westerville