Marc Dann resigns amid scandal; Governor should appoint a pro-gun replacement

By Chad D. Baus

While it is now quite apparent from the ongoing sexual harrassment scandal that Democrat Marc Dann managed the office of Attorney General poorly over the past 17 months, many Ohio gun owners will no doubt still receive news of his resignation this week some sadness.

Thanks in large part to the hard work of Buckeye Firearms Association, the National Rifle Association, and pro-gun volunteers throughout the state, Marc Dann was narrowly elected in 2006 over the anti-gun, anti-self defense Republican Betty Montgomery, despite her having huge leads in every poll, huge leads in name recognition and a war chest more than double the size of Marc Dann.

During his short time in office, the pro-gun Democrat kept his campaign promises to gun owners.

Dann's office defended a challenge to Ohio's concealed carry law before the state Supreme Court, joined a Writ of Certiorari in support of the pro-Second Amendment position in the District of Columbia v. Heller gun case, issued an opinion reiterating that a new state law does not allow journalists to copy the confidential, non-public information of concealed handgun license (CHL) -holders by any means, and signed new concealed carry reciprocity agreements with several states, making it possible for Ohioans to exercise their right to self-defense in more places as they travel, and allowing more visitors here to do the same.

In short, Marc Dann delivered the exact kind of representation to Ohio gun owners that he was elected to do.

In the wake of his resignation, Mr. Dann’s first assistant, Thomas Winters, becomes acting attorney general, as dictated by state law. The task has now been set before Governor Ted Strickland (another pro-gun Democrat, elected to replace anti-gun Republican Bob Taft) to consider the appointment of a replacement who would serve going into a special election that will be held November 4.

The media has already set about speculating whom the governor might appoint. Among the names suggested have been Treasurer of State Richard Cordray and Lt. Governor Lee Fisher.

Fisher and Cordray are worlds apart when it comes to the Second Amendment, and I sincerely hope these differences will be kept in mind as Governor Strickland considers who could best represent gun owners as Attorney General.

During the 2006 election, Cordray observed that "with Ted (Strickland,) Marc (Dann) and myself on the ticket, I think it is legitimate to say that part of the Democrat's resurgence in Ohio is demonstrating that we, as a party, are running candidates who support gun rights. The concealed carry law, which I support, is an excellent example of how the 'wild, wild west' predictions were way off base, and it isn't the law abiding citizen gun owner that we should be worried about."

Lt. Governor Fisher, on the other hand, is a major player in the attempt to disarm law-abiding citizens. When he unsuccessfully ran for governor in 1998, he announced his candidacy with Sarah Brady from the Brady Campaign To Prevent Gun Violence at his side. He has served on the Board of Directors for Handgun Control Inc., which was later renamed by the Brady bunch). He is an avid supporter of gun registration, waiting periods, "assault rifle bans", and, like Republican presidential nominee John McCain, wants to close down gun shows. Fisher has even publicly stated "I never met a gun control bill that I didn’t like."

Governor Strickland has said the next attorney general should possess "maturity, experience and management ability" and be someone with "great integrity."

'PRO-GUN' should also be among the governor's list of priorities. It is important that Governor Strickland replace Marc Dann with another strong pro-gun Democrat, not only out of a need to be consistent to his own committment to Ohio gun owners and the Second Amendment, but also to give his appointee an advantage heading into the special election this November.

Rumors circulating in the media suggest that Republicans are considering having anti-gun former U.S. Sen. Mike DeWine try to reclaim the seat for the GOP. DeWine, who is currently acting as McCain's Ohio campaign chair, lost his Senate seat in 2006, running as an anti-gun candidate sporting a Brady bunch endorsement.

Mike DeWine consistently cast his votes on the side of the most rabid anti-gun Democrats in the Senate. And now he wants you to cast your vote for John McCain, and may soon be seeking your vote to replace the pro-gun Marc Dann as state Attorney General. (Whether or not Dewine decides to run make also be an indicator of his beliefs on whether McCain can win in November, as his name has also been floated as a potential McCain-appointee for U.S. Attorney General!)

In Ohio alone, approximately 1/2 million people have hunting and/ or concealed handgun licenses. And according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune's Dennis Anderson, Ohio gun owners made up 27 percent of the total vote in Ohio in the year 2000.

By giving a pro-gun Democrat a few months' head-start, Gov. Strickland can increase the likelihood that gun owners will once again be voting Democrat for Attorney General in November.

Chad Baus is a Member of the Fulton County, OH Republican Central Committee and the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.