Gun rights and education: 5 things Ohioans should watch for in 2026

2026 could be a pivotal year for gun rights, from elections at the state and federal level to municipal actions at the local level. Here are five things to watch for this next year, including an event announcement from us:

1. Elections

We've had the good fortune the past few years of having a pro-gun state legislature and a governor willing to sign pro-gun legislation into law.

Republicans still hold a supermajority of 65-34 in the 99-member Ohio House of Representatives, but the lead has decreased by two from 67-32 just two years ago. A veto-proof supermajority is 60 votes (three-fifths), but a two-thirds majority (66 votes) is needed in some cases. The entire Ohio House is up for grabs every two years, and the 2026 primaries are this spring. Statistically, Republicans have proven to be more pro-gun than Democrats.

Likewise, the Ohio Senate continues to hold a supermajority, but it also has shrunk from 26-7 two years ago to 24-9 currently. Of the 33 seats, 17 will be up for election in 2026.

The Republican gubernatorial race is poised to pit Vivek Ramaswamy, who secured the Ohio Republican Party endorsement early in 2025, against Democrat Amy Acton, who served as the Ohio Department of Health director under DeWine.

Ramaswamy has said, "The First Amendment is a promise. The Second Amendment is how we deliver that promise." Conversely, Acton, who was a volunteer for anti-gun zealot Barack Obama's 2008 presidential candidacy, describes what she calls "the scourge of gun violence" on her campaign website.

Other prospective gubernatorial candidates include Republican Philip Funderburg, Democrat Jacob Chiara, and independent Tim Grady. Democrat Tim Ryan withdrew in late November. Another one is Heather Brazell-Hill, who initially said she would run as a Republican but since has said she would run as a Libertarian, an Independent, or the America Party (founded by Elon Musk but not yet recognized in Ohio). She still calls herself a Republican on her campaign website.

At the federal level in Ohio, all U.S. House seats are up for election. And a special election will be held in November to fill the U.S. Senate seat vacated by now Vice President JD Vance. Republican Jon Husted, previously lieutenant governor, was appointed by Gov. Mike DeWine in January 2025 to fill Vance's seat but must run in November to retain it until the November 2028 elections. Bernie Moreno, Ohio's other Senator, is not up for reelection in 2026. Democrats who have declared are former Sen. Sherrod Brown and newcomers Ron Kincaid, Lynnea Lau, and Chris Volpe.

Buckeye Firearms Association in due time will publish grades and endorsements for the May primaries so that voters will know where candidates stand on gun rights.

2. Legislation

As noted in our 2025 year in review, several pro-gun bills are in the works in the 136th Ohio General Assembly, highlighting the importance of electing the best candidates for defending and advancing Second Amendment legislation.

In addition, 15 total bills that we oppose — 10 in the House and five in the Senate — have been introduced but are likely to go nowhere beyond a committee assignment.

Check our Legislation page to see where BFA stands on each bill.

3. Protecting Houses of Worship training

BFA has sponsored a handful of Protecting Houses of Worship seminars geared to training security teams in how to respond to an active-killer situation.

This training class is designed as an intro to help identify security needs, as well as organizational and team training standards. Training will include the history of active killing events, including current tragedies, plus medical training, tactics, and active-killer-response scenarios.

This class includes training with SIRT pistols. SIRT stands for shot indicating resetting trigger. These are realistic replicas of commonly used carry guns, providing the same feel, weight, and trigger characteristics of the real things. They include lasers to show where shots in real life would land.

While there is no live fire during this class, the SIRT pistols (provided) will allow participants to safely practice effective response tactics in a realistic congregational setting.

A late-summer class earned participants' praise. Another class is slated Jan. 24 in Medina. And we should soon be announcing a class in Westerville.

We will keep you posted as new training sessions become available. In the meantime, if you would like to host an event at your congregation, email BFA executive director Dean Riek at [email protected] or call administrative assistant Angela Armstrong at 614-715-4867.

4. Watch your local leaders

As we reported earlier this week, new bodies of city councils, township trustees, and school boards begin in January, and you can bet many of them are not staunch supporters of your gun rights.

All supporters of the Second Amendment should keep an eye on meeting agendas for their councils, school boards, and trustees. You have a right to know what they're going to discuss, per Ohio's Open Meetings Act (sunshine laws).

Buckeye Firearms Association is counting on you to pay attention to your local government and help us hold them accountable. Not all municipalities' websites are the same, but generally speaking, start with your town's or school district's website and search for "council," "board," and/or "agenda" and go from there.

5. New BFA event coming in August

We'll soon announce details on a brand-new fundraiser offering dinner, raffles, games, and an opportunity to meet with candidates running for Ohio offices at the local and state level. It's called the BFA Patriot Fest and is scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 22. So mark your calendar.

We're still lining up speakers and finalizing details, so we can't say more about this exciting new event right now. But we'll be sure to let you know when it's time to start selling tickets.

Joe D. "Buck" Ruth is a longtime small-game hunter and gun owner who spent nearly three decades in the news industry. He is the website and social-media manager for Buckeye Firearms Association.