Ken Blackwell: ‘He sticks to his guns, so to speak’

By Larry S. Moore

A recent headline in the (Dover-New Philadelphia) Times Reporter pronounced:

“He sticks to his guns, so to speak’: Blackwell brings campaign trail through rifle club”

Blackwell taking his message to gun owners and organizations is not new. The first time I heard and met Ken Blackwell was at the Ohio Gun Collectors Banquet, probably in 2004. He was already a member of the organization and was the keynote speaker for the annual banquet. It was my first banquet attendance but not Mr. Blackwell’s. Since that time I’ve had the pleasure of hearing Mr. Blackwell speak on several occasions.

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In September I had the opportunity to participate in a question and answer session with both candidates (Blackwell and Strickland). I factually reported the positions of both candidates.

The words of both candidates are very similar. In all the occasions where Ken Blackwell has spoken, he presents his core values. Gun ownership and the Second Amendment are center to those core values. I believe Ken Blackwell is standing strong on his commitment to the Second Amendment and to gun owners. He is, after all, a gun owner. At the US Sportsmen Alliance interview, Blackwell said, “….I don’t care whether I am in the minority view or not on matters of principle and convictions. I am a man of conviction. My support for Second Amendment has been strong whether I am in the majority or in the minority.”

href="http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/article3259.html" target="_blank"> src="http://buckeyefirearms.org/publicfiles/BlackwellClayShoot.jpg" height=288
width=384 border=0 align="right">Blackwell prefers the shotgun shooting sports of trap and skeet. Look at the photos of Mr. Blackwell at shooting events. He brings his shotgun, eye and ear protection. He is relaxed and comfortable carrying his shotgun as he is his cell phone. He is a shooter.

During the US Sportsmen interview Mr. Blackwell emphasized his core values. Mr. Blackwell emphasized that during his selection of a running mate he made it clear that his choice must share the same core values.

By most accounts both Mr. Blackwell and Mr. Strickland are champions of our Second Amendment Rights. Mr. Blackwell deserves the gun owner vote because he is a gun owner. Mr. Blackwell is the only candidate to extend his support of the Second Amendment standing on his core values and principles when choosing a running mate. That separates Mr. Blackwell from the other gubernatorial candidates and earns my vote.

Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Association and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award.

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