Buckeye Firearms Assoc. files 2008 pre-general campaign finance report

By Jim Irvine

State law requires all political action committees to file regular reports on where their money comes from and how it is spent. This information becomes public record and is available to you online. Buckeye Firearms Associations has a full disclosure policy on our finances. We want you to know how frugal and careful we are with your donations.

In keeping with our commitment to keep you informed of how we invest your money, I'd like to provide some analysis of our 2008 pre-general campaign finance report.

This report was far and away the biggest report we have ever filed. That is a testament to you, our supporters. Many people believe in our mission – defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, electing pro-gun candidates and lobbying for pro-gun legislation – and more and more people also believe in the leaders of Buckeye Firearms Association and our ability to fulfill that mission.

You have voted with your dollars, and we are grateful.

This report covered from April 5, 2008 to October 15, 2008. During this time, we took in over three hundred individual donations totaling $21,194.71 and had expenses of $22,166.76, leaving us a balance of $18,330.10. (Note - Since October 15, we have spent significant amounts of money to print and distribute thousands of voter guides and other direct support of our endorsed candidates that will show up on our next report.)

Where the money came from: (rounded)

$13,720 was income from our Bulletproofing the Mind fundraiser
$7,369 was from other personal donations
$106 was interest income

Our median donation was $50, with the average almost $68. There were twenty-seven donations for $10 or less. While many think that such small donations don’t matter, the fact is that these individuals acting together donated $261, an amount more than five times the size of the median donation. Every dollar and donation counts.

Not including donations for the Grossman fundraiser, five people donated $250 or more. These large donations are crucial to fund bigger ideas and projects.

Every donation is important. By combining our resources, we have a bigger impact. Without your financial support, we simply could not accomplish what we have this year.

Where the money went: (rounded)

$6,250 – political donations to twenty-seven different candidates' campaigns
$4,866 – expenses related to Bulletproofing the Mind fundraiser
$3,000 – Outreach to other Second Amendment-related groups
$2,831 – printing of brochures, wallet cards, and business cards
$1,345 – postage
$1,344 – expenses related to Oxford shooting event fundraiser
$582 – paypal transaction fees
$235 – in-kind donations to other groups events
$181 – bank and mastercard fees

Further details on the biggest expenses:

Your money does no good just sitting in our account. It must be put to use to effect change. While it is easy to spend money, it requires effort to spend it wisely. We have more requests for money and support from friends than we can fulfill. Because we are involved on so many fronts, we know the issues, people and groups involved in our fight well. As I review our expenses, I am proud of the leaders of Buckeye Firearms Association for making excellent use of the available funds.

Why donate so much to campaigns? Because money matters, especially in an election year. While there are many more deserving candidates than the ones we donated to, we chose our donations to help the candidates who have done the most to fight for your rights, and those who will be in a position to continue that fight in the future.

There will be further expenses to report in the post-general report for the Bulletproofing the Mind fundraiser event. Expenses already reported are for speaking fees, and other direct expenses associated with hosting this rewarding and educational event. Even after all expenses are paid, this was a very successful event for Buckeye Firearms Association.

Outreach. We sponsored events with the U.S. Sportsman’s Alliance and worked with other groups to broaden the reach of Buckeye Firearms Association. There are many pro-gun and pro-hunting groups in Ohio. Each represents a different specialized interest. By working together, we can amplify our combined influence in the legislature. The first fruits of this investment came with passage of SB184, Ohio's Castle Doctrine law, and we will continue to work with other groups in an effort to help all gun owners.

We have distributed almost 100,000 of our Buckeye CCW wallet cards. These cards not only help promote Buckeye Firearms Association, but they also help inform gun owners about the law, preventing newspaper headlines that are damaging to our efforts. Other brochures and cards that are handed out promote our group to new people that we need to engage in our battle. The growth in funding and traffic to our web site indicate our efforts are working.

We are having a great year in the legislature because we had a great year politically in 2006, and because more people have become engaged in our cause. While we continue to focus on people and volunteers, there is no getting around the fact that money makes the world go round. If you want to have influence, you need to spend money.

And speaking of spending - the necessity of responding to the Ohio Democratic Party's deceptive, hypocritical attacks on gun owners in House District 72 wasn't something we had funds set aside for. By the time we learned of these anti-gun mailers, we had already committed a large portion of our remaining cash-on-hand to mailing voter guides across the state. But we knew a response to this anti-gun attack on one of our endorsees was imperative.

And indeed, our response may have made the difference in this race, which McGregor won by just 1132 votes!

We need to replenish our coffers so that we are in a good position to continue our mission of defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities in 2009, no matter what the outcome of the elections is.

PLEASE CLICK HERE to make a donation and help us stay in a strong position to fight for your rights.

Thank you to each and every one of our donors who sacrificed their hard-earned money to fund Buckeye Firearms Association. The entire state of Ohio owes you a debt of gratitude.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman, and host of Firearms Forum, Ohio's first talk radio show about guns and gun rights, on Cleveland's WHK 1420 AM.