Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson published on this national website.

And if you think McCain will save the Second Amendment, think again — there is a strong possibility Mike DeWine will become his attorney general if the McManchurian candidate is selected. DeWine is a darling of the gun-grabbers with a Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence endorsement. “When he ran for the Senate in 1994, he backed the Clinton Gun Ban,” writes the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Gerard discussed revelations that an active duty soldier's application to renew his Ohio concealed handgun license was almost denied, due to questions about his residency, with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

In 2007, nearly 22,000 Ohio citizens received a concealed handgun license, which was a 20 percent increase from 2006, according to data released by Ohio's attorney general.

In all, more than 109,000 Ohioans hold a carry license.

"Every day, the law-abiding citizens who carry a gun prove the anti-gun side wrong," a Buckeye Firearms Association press release noted. "None of their predictions have come true. No increase in accidents, or kids finding guns, or blood in the streets. The release of more data reinforces what gun owners and concealed-carry advocates have been saying for years: We are not the problem. And all the attention given to restricting our rights is energy that should be focused on stopping criminals."

Buckeye Firearms Association Region Leader Linda Walker was a guest on "Call the Cops" with host Don Myers. They discussed the unanimous passage of Castle Doctrine legislation in the Ohio Senate. The show starts after the news in the 9:00 hour and runs till 10:00 and is broadcast on WHKW AM 1220 in Cleveland and simulcast on WHKZ AM 1440 in Warren Ohio.

Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman Chad Baus was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Chad discussed the Senate's unanimous passage of Castle Doctrine legislation, as well as ongoing confusion related to Ohio Concealed Handgun License renewal with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Region Leader Gerard Valentino appeared on both the 5:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. evening broadcasts. Story summary published on NBC4i.com included the following:

"The Buckeye Firearms Association said that 20 states have a Castle Doctrine and said that just because the law changes, it doesn't turn honest people into bloodthirsty vigilantes."

Buckeye Firearms Association Region Leader Linda Walker was a guest on "Call the Cops" with host Don Myers. They discussed the latest progress on Castle Doctrine legislation in the Ohio Senate. The show starts after the news in the 9:00 hour and runs till 10:00 and is broadcast on WHKW AM 1220 in Cleveland and simulcast on WHKZ AM 1440 in Warren Ohio.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

In Ohio, instances of violent crime increased by about 4 percent in the year the gun law was passed.

Then, from 2005 to 2006, violent crime dropped, according to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said many factors play into crime rates, but he agreed the concealed-carry law isn't one of them.

"I'd love to be able to say it's reduced crime, but I don't think we can say that," he said.

Still, Mr. Irvine believes the law shouldn't be blamed on any spikes in crime.

Mr. Irvine said the people applying for the permits are law-abiding citizens who want to carry a gun to defend themselves and their families against criminals. Many people get guns to feel safer, Mr. Irvine said.

Even if the gun remains untouched in its holster, Mr. Irvine said the feeling of security is immeasurable.

"They can benefit from a security system mentally even if nobody ever breaks into their house," he said. "That feeling of safety - that's a great public good."

Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Region Leader Gerard Valentino appeared on both the 6:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. evening broadcasts. Story summary published on NBC4i.com included the following:

"You're in your home -- your castle -- and you feel forced to fire. Self defense or excuse for murder? Both sides of the castle doctrine debate weighed in on Senate Bill 184 at the Statehouse, NBC 4's Erin Tate reported.

The bill would apply to lawsuits against those who may shoot a felon, forcibly trespassing to rape, rob, assault of burglarize.

The Buckeye Firearms Association said 17 states have the castle doctrine, including states which neighbor Ohio -- Indiana, Pennsylvania and Kentucky.

Sen. Tim Grendell said there have not been any problems with Kentucky's law."

Buckeye Firearms Association Region Leader Linda Walker was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Linda discussed the latest Senate committee hearing on Castle Doctrine legislation with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Feature article by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published in this national magazine.

Feature article by Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson published in this national magazine.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

The BuckeyeFirearms.org press release "Buckeye Firearms Foundation Files Brief in D.C. Gun Ban Case" was covered at length in this influential state-wide newsletter.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

According to Chad D. Baus, vice chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, Ohio concealed-carry permit holders might be in for a rude awakening this year when they seek to renew their permits.

As Baus wrote on the BFA website, the carry permits of more than 45,000 Ohioans will expire between April and December 2008. Permit holders must go through their county sheriffs for renewals. The critical piece of paper applicants need is their "competency certificate", issued by a certified concealed handgun license instructor. Will permit holders have a copy of that certificate? Probably not.

"One sheriff has already confirmed to me that in the early days of the law, his office was accepting originals of applicants competency certificates, but were not yet advising applicants of the importance of making a copy, as they now are," Baus wrote. "And because state law requires sheriffs to destroy documents submitted at the time of application once the licensing process is completed, every one of the 45,497+ competency certificates submitted to the sheriffs in 2004 were destroyed under statute."

If their instructor did not keep a copy, Baus warned, such people will probably have to retake their carry class.

Buckeye Firearms Association Southeast Ohio Region Leader Collin Rink was a featured on FOX Cincinnati Channel 19 during the 10:00 p.m. evening broadcast doing volunteer work for Buckeye Firearms Association-endorsed candidate Bob Mecklenborg's campaign for State Representative.

This brief comes from citizens of Ohio who neither live in D.C. nor do business in our fair town. Yet they purport to know what’s best for us.

The document names two interest groups: first, the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to defending “the rights of Ohio citizens to use firearms for all legal activities.” Second, the National Council for Investigations and Security Services, a trade group for private security agencies.

Their argument is simple: Because the Metropolitan Police Department has failed to protect residents, the city has no right to ban handguns.

Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Ken discussed his BuckeyeFirearms.org article "Who is attacking the Second Amendment in the D.C. gun case, and what can you do about it?" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio volunteer Mark Noble was a guest on NBC Columbus Channel 4 during the 6:00 p.m. evening broadcast to discuss the Northern Illinois University campus massacre and efforts to allow students their Constitutional right to self-defense on campus.

Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Ken discussed the recent BuckeyeFirearms.org article "Buckeye Firearms Foundation Files Brief in D.C. Gun Ban Case" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

The amicus brief [PDF], filed by the Buckeye Firearms Foundation...enumerates the ways in which the Metropolitan Police Department and D.C. government have failed to protect its citizens. (Hat tip: Volokh Conspiracy.)

"The District is consistently a national leader in various crime categories while simultaneously demonstrating inability to adapt or change under the crippling bureaucracy endemic to the District. Compounding this deadly combination of high crime and inflexibility are constant examples of corruption, incompetence and outright misfeasance in the operation of the department," the brief argues.

..."Within the context of a police department failing in the most basic duty owed to the citizens, to protect and serve, and courts declining to hold police departments accountable for even the most egregious of these failures, the Second Amendment must be interpreted as an individual right to keep and bear firearms for defense of self and others," the brief continues.

This argument could allow the Supremes to decide D.C. v. Heller using factors other than a Second Amendment interpretation. For example, it's clear that the gun ban has done little to reduce gun violence in the District. That doesn't make it unconstitutional, but it's not a great argument for upholding the ban, either.

The amicus should also serve as a wake-up call to Fenty's administration. It has a lot riding on this case, which will be one of the highest profile of the court's term. But citizens may already suspect, as the Buckeye Firearms Foundation does, that the regulation of firearms is just one of the District's many problems when it comes to reducing violence.

On behalf of several association of private security guards and detectives, and the Buckeye Firearms Foundation, a brief in DC v. Heller supplies the facts of the appalling mismanagement and institutional incompetence of DC's Metropolitan Police Department. Almost everyone who lives or works in the District of Columbia is well aware that the District's government performs very poorly compared to almost all other big-city governments in the United States. Nevertheless, the Buckeye brief is shocking.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Checking out the amicus briefs so far filed...they're an impressive lot. I was especially struck by the Buckeye Firearms Fdn one...

When The Sandusky Register, a newspaper in northern Ohio published the non-public records of concealed permit holders last summer, they got a backlash they hadn’t expected. One gun rights advocacy group published personal but public information about the newspaper’s editor on the group’s web site.

In what was labeled as a grossly irresponsible move by many, the Register published the names, ages and home counties of the nearly 2,700 concealed carry permit holders in its circulation area.

...In Ohio, gun laws restrict public access to concealed carry records but the media is allowed to access them, but not for the purposes of making such lists public by publication.

After the Register’s action, a spokesman for the Buckeye Firearms Association said that “The general public may now know who owns and may or may not carry a gun. Additionally, the general public now knows who is not carrying a gun in their day to day activities.”

...Ken Hanson, legislative chair of the Buckeye Firearms Association and author of The Ohio Guide to Firearm Laws says that by publishing lists of persons who have obtained concealed handgun licenses, newspapers such as the Sandusky Register have taken private, non-public record information and made it public.

“Beyond the fact that The Register has now made public that which statutorily was not to be public, what harm can come from this?” Hanson asks. “Buckeye Firearms Association previously brought you the story of a prison guard who was tracked down by a former inmate by using a concealed carry list published in a local paper. However, beyond this explicit example, the general public remains largely unaware of just how much harm can come from this.

"If someone breaks down your door and intrudes in your home you should not have the legal burden to prove that you acted in self defense," said Ken Hanson of the Buckeye Firearms Association. (FOX 8 video)

Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Jim discussed the recent BuckeyeFirearms.org article "Concealed Handgun License renewal deadline looms for many" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Buckeye Firearms Association's Jim Irvine was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Jim discussed the very latest in Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson's attempts to control drug and gang-related crime in his city, as well as a 2008 legislative preview for the Buckeye State with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Feature article by Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson published in this national magazine.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

We are an army of volunteers who understand our issue, and (our) greatest rewards come from dedicated work," said BFA Chairman Jim Irvine.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Jim Irvine was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Jim discussed his article "The truth about Cleveland’s “Assault Weapon Ban” - Part I" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

"We would like it if the media didn't have access to the information in the first place," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association. "[Then-Gov. Bob] Taft insisted the media have access to the records. This battle goes back years.

"They've published the names of people who are hiding from people trying to kill them, the names of prison guards who are trying to protect themselves from ex-convicts hunting them down, the names of women who have restraining orders out against people trying to kill them," he said. "How does that do any good?"

The Buckeye Firearms Association announced that they will be participating in the Washington, D.C. Gun Ban case which the U.S. Supreme Court decided to accept.

The Court limited the case to the following issue:

"Whether the following provisions, D.C. Code 7-2502.02(a), 22-4505(a), and 7-2507.02, violate the Second Amendment rights of individuals who are not affiliated with any state-regulated militia, but who wish to keep handguns and other firearms for private use in their homes?"

The justices will review a decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit which ruled in March that Washington can't ban all handgun possession in the home. While the appeals court decision pertained to Washington, D.C., the final opinion may have nationwide impact.

The Ohio association will be filing a brief in support of Mr. Heller, one of the D.C. residents who originally filed the case. The Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence chose not to join the city in asking the Court to hear the case. Also, the National Rifle Association didn't take a position on whether the Court should get involved.

Gun rights advocates point out that stricter gun control laws enacted in the past two decades haven't slowed the crime rate or kept criminals from getting guns.

"I'm not saying the background check should be done away with. I'm saying it's proven to be ineffective," [Buckeye Firearms Association's] Tim Inwood said. "Expanding it makes no sense whatsoever."

Buckeye Firearms Association Northeast Ohio Chair Rick Kaleda offered insight on media access to concealed handgun license (CHL) records in this extensive National Public Radio (NPR) report on Ohio's open records battle.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Chad Baus was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Chad discussed his article "Upside down: Drunk drivers' names off-limits to media, but not CHL-holders'" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Buckeye Firearms Association is pointing out on its Web site ( www.buckeyefirearms.org) that the Ohio Revised Code already restricts minors in the matter of gun possession and ownership, particularly handgun possession and ownership.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

The basement of the ROTC building is the only location on The Ohio State University campus where a student can legally fire a gun. But one group wants to change that and give licensed students the right to carry firearms anywhere on school grounds.

...Mark Noble, who is associated with the Buckeye Firearms Association, said achieving that goal would start with changing state law, 10TV's Kevin Landers reported.

"In Ohio we would have to get the state law changed," Noble said. "Ohio is one of the few states that outright prohibits concealed carry on campus."

Despite that challenge, Noble said the right to carry a weapon should not stop at the campus border.

"Why should we prohibit people from exercising their rights, except for this imaginary line?" he said.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Ken Hanson was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Ken discussed his article "HB354: More Gun Control Addressing Non-Existent Problems" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio volunteer Mark Noble was a guest on FOX News' America's Newsroom with hosts Megyn Kelly and Bill Hemmer to discuss the National Collegiate Student Empty Holster Protest.

Mark Noble, a National Rifle Association instructor [and Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio volunteer], said he hated leaving his gun in his car when he took classes at Ohio State.

"Thieves know that if you are a student, then you are not allowed to carry a weapon and so they'll target you," said Noble, 31, who graduated in June...

"But if they changed the law, then thieves wouldn't know who is armed and they would move on to other targets."

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Tim Inwood was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Tim discussed his article "Yet another anti-gun liberal grapples with reality..." with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

In Ohio it is already against the law to own a handgun if you are under 21, but a new piece of legislation would add the word possession to the books. Opponents argue that changing the vocabulary will ultimately change nothing about the law.

Critics of the proposal argue that probable cause already allows police to stop people suspected of illegally carrying a gun.

"The conduct they are talking about is already illegal under existing laws," said Ken Hanson with the Buckeye Firearms Association.

What concerns gun supporters like Hanson the most is that the legislation could leave some responsible gun owners defenseless, Landers reported.

Last year an 18-year-old clerk at a Columbus carryout shot and killed one of two people who tried to rob his family's store. Opponents claim that under the proposed bill, the clerk would have broken the law..

Buckeye Firearms Association Region Leader Collin Rink was a guest on the "55KRC Morning Show" with hosts Brian Thomas and John Phillips. They discussed the SuccessTech Academy school shooting in Cleveland.

Ken Hanson, legislative chair for the Buckeye Firearms Association in Ohio, said the problem is not that guns are available, they're just not in the right hands. He posted this on the group's Website Wednesday:

"We know that teachers and school officials who have the knowledge, skills, and tools to stop the killing of our innocent children are by law not permitted to bring the only tool (a gun) which can stop an active shooter onto school premises. Too many lives have been lost. For the sake of our children, it's time to revise this well-intentioned, but disastrous policy."

He said that, except for underage students, everyone from cafeteria workers to school janitors should be able to pack "with proper training."

Cleveland Law Director Robert Triozzi said the city will defend its local laws on assault weapons, possession of weapons in public places and possession of weapons by minors.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said a favorable Supreme Court ruling in the Clyde case would stamp out Cleveland's challenge.

"It should establish that statewide preemption is legal," Irvine said.

Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine was a guest on "Call the Cops" with host John Ligato. They discussed Cleveland's crime problems and the laws relating to firearms, and the attention Hi-Point firearms has received including a recent Plain Dealer article. The show starts after the news in the 9:00 hour and runs till 10:00 and is broadcast on WHKW AM 1220 in Cleveland and simulcast on WHKZ AM 1440 in Warren Ohio.

Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine was interviewed by FOX News for a story the national cable news network aired concerning Mayor Frank Jackson's proposal for a new state gun control law. The segment aired several times on Tuesday, September 25th in various forms. The comprehensive version aired during the 6:00p.m. evening news hour with Brit Hume.

Closing a controversial loophole that allows people to buy guns without background checks is one of the recommendations about how to curb firearm violence made by an international police organization.

The recommendations came in a report released Thursday by the International Association of Chiefs of Police.

The report was generated after a gun violence summit held in Chicago this spring.

One local gun-rights advocate called the report a political attack on gun owners.

"It's vehemently anti-gun and has nothing to do with fighting crime," said Jim Irvine of the Buckeye Firearms Association.

...The report also calls for expanding a nationwide police database for ballistic evidence that matches a gun to its unique marking on fired bullets and cartridge cases.

Irvine said that a pinpoint match of a gun to a crime is unrealistic and that such a database would overwhelm investigators.

Op-ed published on this national website.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Chad Baus was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Chad discussed his articles "New law on media access to CHL records confuses...just about everyone" and "Cleveland Mayor Jackson proposes new gun control law" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

"Mr. Westerhold openly concedes that Ohio law says concealed-carry lists are not public records," Ken Hanson, an attorney and Buckeye Firearms Association legislative chair, wrote on BFA's Web site. "The people, by and through their elected officials, have determined, as a matter of law, that these lists are not public records and the release of these lists is not in the public interest. Mr. Westerhold does not agree with that decision, and he works at a newspaper, so his opinion is the only one that matters. Contrary to the legislative and deliberative process and result, Mr. Westerhold gets to unilaterally make public that which is conclusively not public with the click of a mouse.

BFA has called for a reader boycott of Sandusky Register advertisers, to protest the newspaper's actions.

Buckeye Firearm Association's Legislative Chair, Attorney Ken Hanson, appeared on this live-to-tape panel show to discuss Ohio's pending Castle Doctrine bill.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Rick Kaleda made a live guest appearance on the Morning Show show discussing gun safety issues, including where to keep your gun, how to handle it, whether to lock it up, whether the rules change if you have kids, what to tell your kids about guns, when to teach your kids (if at all) to use the gun, and how to carry your gun if you have a license to "conceal and carry."

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Chad Baus was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Chad discussed his article "Gun ban extremists' rhetoric proven false on eve of OH Castle Doctrine debate" with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards. The video is archived at Townhall.com.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Chad Baus was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Chad discussed the very latest on the war Sandusky Register editor Matt Westerhold has declared on gun owners with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

The Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association has declared opposition to the bill. Portage County Prosecutor Victor Viguicci isn't sure, but at first glance the proposal seems too broad, he said.

"Something like this comes up every year," Viguicci said. "But usually they don't seek this broad of coverage. I'd have to research it more, but it seems like too much."

Members of the Buckeye Firearms Association disagree with his preliminary assessment. The group has worked closely with legislators to push for the so-called right-to-shoot bill, although the organization's chairman, Jim Irvine, said the law has little to do with firearms.

"This isn't about guns, it's about self-defense," Irvine said. "If someone attacks you and brutally tries to kill you or rape your wife, do you not have the right to defend your family? If you do defend your life, should you be treated differently than someone else who suffers some other crime?

"In school, we all learned that you are innocent until proven guilty. This bill makes that a reality."

...Regardless of whether the bill clears committee, it seems gun advocates and anti-violence groups will never see eye-to-eye on the issue.

"People like Toby Hoover think you shouldn't defend yourself - that if you're attacked, you should just die," Irvine said. "Plain and simple, they are against self-defense."

RUSH: Remember last week we reported to you these OSHA restrictions? They're trying to basically ban ammunition from gun shops, you wouldn't be able to sell it, and I accidentally swerved into it when I was perusing websites. Well, OSHA announced it "will significantly revise a recent proposal for new 'explosives safety' regulations that caused serious concern among gun owners....

Read the Background Material...
Proposed "Safety" Regulations Would Dry Up Ammunition Sales
Gun owners score pair of victories against Bloomberg and OSHA

Outraged by the publication of names of citizens licensed to carry concealed firearms in several northern Ohio communities, the Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) has taken the gloves off against the newspaper editor who published the list by revealing key facts on their website.

Matt Westerhold, managing editor of The Sandusky Register, put himself in the crosshairs of the BFA and Ohioans for Concealed Carry (OFCC) when he published the names of concealed handgun license (CHL) holders. Rage turned to righteous indignation seasoned with a little revenge when BFA pubilshed information about Westerhold's alleged encounter with the Ohio State Highway Patrol last Sept. 1. He was stopped for speeding and cited for failure to wear his seatbelt, the BFA reported.

But the group went further, publishing what apparently is his home address in Amherst along with a photograph of the dwelling. An SUV parked at the home in the photo, which was obtained from public records, apparently belongs to Westerhold.

Westerhold did not respond to Gun Week's request for an interview.

...BFA's website recalled that this was not the first time Westerhold was apparently involved in publishing the names of CHL-holders. In an earlier job at The Elyria Chronicle-Telegram, Westerhold allegedly also ordered publication of names of law-abiding armed citizens there as well.

In a joint article written by BFA activists Chad Baus and John Salyers, they asserted that state lawmakers, county sheriffs and even the governor all tried to talk Westerhold out of publishing the names, more than 2,600 in all. They promised to provide more information on the newspaper's managing editor, and BFA website readers did not have long to wait.

Westerhold has written in the newspaper that that the issue is about the public right to know. Gun activists don't believe that, and they have launched an effort to have him removed.

...This battle has even gotten the attention of syndicated columnist Michelle Malkin, who criticized the decision to publish the names.

Feature article by Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson published in this national magazine.

Do you carry a concealed weapon? Why not? I would much rather be in a restaurant or other venue with about a dozen people who have passed the background checks and are packing, then in a place full of people with the "submit and do what the man with the gun says" attitude. Read this, if, that is, you have a strong stomach.

RUSH: A friend of mine sent me a note about a story going on in Sandusky, Ohio. It's a big issue there. A newspaper published all 2700 people in the community with a concealed carry permit. This, of course, made the fur fly, and the gun people there, the pro-gun people there got information on the newspaper editor, where he lives, everything about him, and they published that in their publications, in Sandusky, Ohio - and that's the way to fight this stuff!

You know, journalists give out people's privacy and so forth - and these are not public people. These are just 2700 people with concealed carry permits. These are not public people. Some of them might be, I don't know, but most of them are just average citizens. So here comes every bit of information on them, their names and so forth and so on, and you go tell the journalist, "How would you feel if everything about you was exposed?"

"Well, I'm just a journalist! I just convey the news. I'm an innocent bystander."

"No, you're not."

They can't handle it. When they come under the same scrutiny that they scrutinize everybody else with, that does cause the fur to fly.

"Now, someone who has a grudge has a list of targets/victims, and the only reason they have a list of targets/victims is because of the newspaper's unilateral action," the Buckeye Firearms Association said on its website.

BFA Legislative Chair Ken Hanson wrote that because of the newspaper's actions, "The general public may now know who owns and may or may not carry a gun. Additionally, the general public now knows who is not carrying a gun in their day to day activities."

In retaliation - and to illustrate the ease of finding personal information when given a name - the BFA began printing personal information about Sandusky Register Managing Editor Matt Westerhold. The information, while personal, is available through public records searches.

On its website, the group has printed Westerhold's phone numbers, automobile records, traffic ticket record, the address of a home he owns and information about the mortgage on the property. It has also printed redacted information on his birth date and Social Security number.

Cybercast News Service has independently verified most of the information through online public records searches, including his birth date, partial Social Security number, property holdings, and mortgage information.

The group defends its actions by saying that Westerhold, by approving the publication of the names and information about gun owners, is putting them at risk for the same kind of "this type of stalking/abuse."

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Ken Hanson was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Ken discussed the very latest on the war Sandusky Register editor Matt Westerhold has declared on gun owners with The Daily News host Ginny Simone.

Buckeye's Firearms Association's Jim Irvine was a guest on NRANews.com, which is broadcast live on the Internet and on satellite radio via Sirius Patriot 141. Jim discussed the very latest on the war Sandusky Register editor Matt Westerhold has declared on gun owners with Cam & Company host Cam Edwards.

I've reported before on the newspaper campaign against gun owners with concealed carry licenses. The war continues. The Buckeye Firearms Association sends word of another news outlet, the Sandusky Register, which has published a list of concealed handgun permit owners in Erie, Huron, Ottawa, Sandusky and Seneca counties in Ohio.

BFA reports a citizen revolt and backlash against the paper's actions.

Accompanying the article are two photos taken at a concealed carry course attended State Rep. Michael DeBose. Buckeye Firearms Association is mentioned in both captions as having sponsored the course.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Commentary discussing introduction of castle doctrine legislation.

Commentary discussing introduction of castle doctrine legislation.

[Toby Hoover of Perrysburg, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence], said she knows of no one who has been successfully prosecuted when they truly acted in self-defense.

But Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said those who act in self-defense sometimes plead to a lesser charge and shouldn't have to face the time, expense, and effort to defend themselves.

"It's common sense," he said. "Are you going to side with the rapist criminal or the victim? Right now the law is upside down."

Supporters of the bill provide anecdotes illustrating the need for the change, but mainly argue that it doesn't make sense to place the burden of proof on people trying to defend themselves.

In a case "where a guy purely, clearly has the right to use self defense, we've had judges say, 'No, the guy with a broken leg should have jumped out the second-story window,'" said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association.

[Toby] Hoover, whose husband was killed by a gun almost 35 years ago, advocates for background checks for those secondary sales to ensure criminals have a harder time getting their hands on guns.

"Somehow or another, we have to stop that supply to those people," she says.

Her opposition in Ohio is led by Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, an organization that named Hoover the number four threat to gun rights in 2007. Irvine's group won a victory in March when legislation it championed changed gun laws in the state. The new law made firearms regulations uniform across Ohio, but stripped local municipalities of their ability to tighten rules.

There are no licensing requirements for gun ownership in Ohio, and that's the way it should be, Irvine says.

"It's a constitutional right," he says. "You don't need to get training or a license to say "President Bush is an idiot' or "President Clinton is an idiot.' If you're criticizing an elected official, you don't need to go get a permit.

"Second of all, it's a piece of property. It doesn't make any more sense to say you need a license to go get a knife, or duct tape or anything else criminals use to commit crimes."

...As for requiring gun licenses, "I think that you should have to do that, and you should have to qualify for some kind of safety training," Hoover says.

But Irvine doesn't like laws that require training or licenses. "I'm a huge advocate of training," he says. "I don't think you can have enough training." Still, he favors rolling back the Ohio requirement of 12 hours of training before earning a concealed carry permit. He says people who can't afford the training are in danger because they can't get a permit.

"Concealed-carry is the best dollar-for-dollar return for society because it is paid for entirely by people who go to get a concealed-carry license," he says.

"I know close to a dozen people who have defended their lives with a firearm," he continues.

This essay appeared on a website named the "Buckeye Firearms Association." Ohhhhhhhh! Guns! Gun nuts! Well, if you can get by that infantile reaction, you will enjoy Tim Inwood's "Time for the sun to set on the Culture of Sheep."

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Cases involving licensed carriers of concealed weapons protecting themselves or others are difficult to find because they rarely are reported, pro-gun groups say.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said most examples are anecdotal accounts, undocumented by police investigations.

"Ninety-five percent of the time no shots are fired," Irvine said. "So there would be no police reports. The gun owner either draws the weapon or pulls his jacket back to show the gun and all of a sudden the criminal's gone."

The Buckeye Web site has a number of testimonials about gun owners defending themselves and others from attackers. But most of the cases involve store owners battling robbers. Those cases don't pertain to concealed weapons because a store owner is not required to have a concealed-weapon permit to keep a gun in a store.

Both the Buckeye Firearms Association, a gun-rights supporter, and the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence commended Dann for addressing the issue.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said it appeared Mr. Dann had taken appropriate steps to address the issue.

"It's very difficult to weed out the few people who are a problem and not catch very good people who are not a problem," he said. "We're not good at the mental illness game. There are so many fuzzy borders, so many diseases, but treated, people live normal lives."

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Cleveland-based Buckeye Firearms Association, said it was tragic that Buford lost his life in the weekend shooting. But he added that Wells had the right to defend himself.

"The law works. It allows the victims of violent crimes to survive them," Irvine said.

"It's tragic," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association. "Anytime somebody dies, it's tragic, but it's hard to have any sympathy when he chose to have a gun and go threaten somebody's life."

Irvine said it was "great that a potential victim is able to continue his life instead of having a criminal take it."

Guest appearance on Mike Trivisano show discussing CHL shooting and castle doctrine.

At most, the local laws that were invalidated may have slowed him down a bit to reload more frequently by denying him heavy-ammunition magazines.

"It really doesn't make a difference," said Jim Irvine, spokesman for the Buckeye Firearms Association.

"There are 45,000 to 50,000 people in car crashes every year. You can reduce the size of the gas tank to 10 gallons, but you wouldn't see fewer crashes. You'd just stop to fill up more often. Changing the magazine capacity has nothing to do with saving lives."

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad D. Baus published on this national website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

While there is bound to be some honest disagreement on the matter, concealed-carry advocates figure the woods will be safer in coming years.

"A hunter should be able to carry a gun for self-defense," said Gerard Valentino, central Ohio chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association and a Pickerington resident.

"A hunter should be able to carry a gun for self-defense," said Gerard Valentino, central Ohio chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association and a Pickerington resident.

But a long, unarmed walk back to the SUV, where "someone might be up to no good," seemed unnecessarily risky, Valentino said.

"A person might find himself in a position to not be able to fight back," he said.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

"It's an improvement on existing law, but we don't think it's good enough," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association. Irvine said his group wants the names of permit holders maintained by county sheriffs kept private. Under the concealed weapons law passed in 2004, journalists, but not the public, are allowed access to lists of the names, counties of residence and birth dates of permit holders.

Jim Irvine, the chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, applauded the Ohio Senate for joining the House in overriding Gov. Bob Taft's veto of legislation concerning the carrying of concealed weapons. He added that lawmakers demonstrated "just how out of touch the governor and a few big city mayors really are."

Dann said the reason for his vote hadn't changed from the reason for which he supported the bill when it passed the Senate last month. "Having contradictory gun laws all over the state doesn't make sense," he said.

That was the argument of backers including the Buckeye Firearms Association, Ohioans for Concealed Carry and the National Rifle Association, which defended the clause as bringing uniformity to a confusing array of local gun laws.

Ken Hanson, a spokesman for the Buckeye Firearms Association, discounted the Quinnipiac poll, saying lawmakers were getting bombarded with calls and e-mails asking them to override the veto. He said now Ohioans can "live by one set of rules" statewide.

Hanson also said he expects more gun control legislation to be addressed when a new Legislature and administration takes over next month.

"We're trying to get a handle on the homicides and the violent crimes that we've had in our city, and I think any tool that we have that's available to us that will restrict the kinds of weapons that we're talking about would be useful," noted Cincinnati Mayor Mark Mallory.

However, [Buckeye Firearms Association legislative chairman Ken] Hanson -- who describes himself as "an attorney who litigates firearms and has represented municipalities" -- warned that "taxpayers are not going to be happy if their elected representatives have to pay $50,000 in attorney fees over futile attempts to continue enforcing worthless local ordinances."

"The fact that so many voted for this bill and obtained the first veto override in nearly three decades demonstrates just how out of touch the governor and a few big city mayors really are," said the association's chairman, James Irvine.

"The cold, hard conclusion to be drawn is that Ohioans recognize gun control as the failure it is and understand that there is nothing to fear from trained, law-abiding citizens being armed," Irvine added.

"We are gratified that the General Assembly recognized that Governor Taft and a few mayors were playing politics with important firearm law reforms," said Buckeye Firearms Chairman James Irvine. "We recognize this was a difficult step, but the fact that so many voted for this bill and obtained the first veto override in nearly 3 decades demonstrates just how out of touch the Governor and a few big city mayors really are."

"Cities are out of the firearm regulation business," said Ken Hanson, legislative chairman for the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Hanson said his organization worked with state legislators to remove all of law enforcement's objections. He was surprised by the last-minute Taft opposition to the bill's impact on local ordinances.

Ken Hanson, legislative chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said eliminating the local laws is a reasonable goal - and one that was in the bill for many months.

"Certainly, gun owners want to be able to travel throughout the state," he said. "Driving down here today, I passed through six municipalities. If I'd happened to have a firearm in my car, I have no idea as I drive along unless I look up those codes whether I'm legal or illegal."

Hanson said Ohio law is already robust enough to handle the vast majority of assault weapons cases without the local bans, noting there have been only two convictions under Toledo's assault weapons ban, one under Cincinnati's, and none under the one in Columbus.

"These objections on home-rule grounds are red herrings," he said.

"We've made every reasonable compromise at every step of the way to avoid the veto showdown," said Ken Hanson, legislative chair for the Buckeye Firearms Association.

The Buckeye Firearms Association accused the governor of being inconsistent when defending the home-rule authority of local governments. It suggested he should also veto a bill that he generally supports that is moving through the legislature to increase public access to local records.

"This is an area of home-rule where local government is absolute and cannot be infringed, unlike firearm laws," said Ken Hanson, the organization's legislative chairman. "State-level public records laws are a clear infringement on home-rule authority delegated to municipalities to the extent the state dictates to municipalities how to meet, what paper to keep, and who they must give it to."

Another benefit: teaching young hunters real-life safety lessons, said Gerard Valentino, central Ohio coordinator of the Buckeye Firearms Association.

"There are a lot of inexperienced young hunters out there that don't understand how far that bullet can fly," Valentino said. "It's like anything else. You can teach it in a book, but until you physically do it, you don't really know what you're doing."

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said it would be a mistake for Taft to veto the bill.

"Think of a driver's license or all of the things that the state issues a license for," Irvine said. "The license has to be valid wherever you go. Same thing with a [CHL]."

Jim Irvine, of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said he believes Toledo misinterpreted the current concealed-carry law when it successfully prosecuted Bruce Beatty for carrying a concealed 45-caliber handgun into Ottawa Park in West Toledo. The conviction, the result of a stunt to mark the one-year anniversary of the concealed-carry law, was upheld by the Toledo-based 6th District Court of Appeals and is being appealed to the Ohio Supreme Court.

"Any state-owned building is prohibited for a license-holder to carry, like the Statehouse building or rest areas, but they can't do it for property," he said. "Buildings can be posted. Property cannot be posted."

"What we have found since passage of concealed carry is that the number of instances where a gun was used successfully to defend one's self or used carelessly has been minimal," said Toledo police Chief Mike Navarre. "There isn't enough data for anyone to reach any objective opinion as to whether the law has been successful or not.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chair Chad Baus published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

That the Worthington incident could be used by gun-control supporters to dampen enthusiasm for the bill angers gun advocates.

"We have to manage the public relations, so the anti's don't get to run away with every single incident," said Ken Hanson, legislative chair of the Buckeye Firearms Association. "The anti's are never squeamish about dancing in a pool of blood."

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national political commentary website.

Commentary discussing pro-gun Democrats running for office.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Under current law, a licensed gun owner who is driving must keep the firearm in clear view whether it is holstered or kept in a case - unless it is locked in a glove compartment.

..."There have been a couple of cases where officers didn't understand this plain sight thing and have threatened arrest and confiscation of the firearm," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association.

"The current law simply just hasn't worked well," he said.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Op-ed by Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino published on this national news website.

Aslanides told Gun Week that his intent is to have "a single, common law that everyone in Ohio can live with, so that traveling from city to city doesn't catch gunowners" in conflict with some local ordinance.

Almost immediately, the Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) endorsed the legislation, filed as House Bill 347 (HB-347). Aslanides already has 47 co-sponsors out of a 99-member House of Representatives, and he insisted that other lawmakers will support the measure. He hopes to have it out of committee by the year's end.

BFA's Jim Irvine told Gun Week that he expects bitter opposition from Ohio anti-gunners, who contended that the current concealed carry law would lead to bloody shootouts in the streets and taverns. None of their dire predictions has come true, he noted.

He said there are tenets of the bill "that should make everybody happy."