Ramaswamy v. Acton: Choice is clear on gun rights, even if Dr. Lockdown masks her views

For Buckeye Firearms Association, the primary political issue between Ohio gubernatorial candidates Vivek Ramaswamy and Amy Acton is their stance on gun rights and laws.

Ramaswamy himself frequently and publicly shares his very strong pro-gun stance.

Acton, who hides from any tough questions from anyone, allowed her campaign spokesperson to vaguely state what we can only assume is her position on firearms.

From an Aug. 30 Cleveland Plain Dealer article:

Acton, a former state health director from suburban Columbus, would collaborate with law enforcement and local officials on “common-sense solutions, including investments in school safety and mental health, stronger background checks, and red flag laws,” campaign spokeswoman Addie Bullock said in a statement.

Acton’s stance is similar to (Gov. Mike) DeWine’s “Strong Ohio” plan, a package of gun reforms that he called for in 2019 after a mass shooting in Dayton that left nine victims and the gunman dead.

Bullock said that Acton was “proud” to support DeWine’s plan, which — at least initially — called for near-universal background checks, a “red-flag” law, and moving people charged with non-violent misdemeanor crimes out of the state psychiatric hospital to a new, separate facility.

Republican Ramaswamy has the BFA endorsement as a tested pro-gun candidate because of his commitment to defending constitutional freedoms. Watch his keynote speech during BFA's Patriot Fest held Aug. 22.

"We've been working on elections for nearly a quarter century. And this is one of the rare times when the choice is easy, obvious, and exciting," said Dean Rieck, BFA executive director. "Vivek is not only a supporter of the Second Amendment; he's also an outspoken champion. And I couldn't be happier with our PAC's decision to endorse him."

Ramaswamy himself has publicly vowed to defend the Second Amendment.

"People in there know that I will be the most pro-Constitution, pro-freedom, pro-2A governor this state has ever had," he said during GunCon 2026. "And I'm running against the most anti-freedom, anti-Constitution, anti-2A governor (candidate) who's ever run, Amy Acton, so take your pick."

He shot down the idea of red flag laws.

"We're gonna draw the line," he said. "We're not doing the red flag laws that open up that slippery slope in Ohio for anyone, certainly not for our veterans. And you have my commitment to that."

Acton, a Democrat, has completely masked her stance on guns publicly. Even her campaign website has gone silent. Previously on her site, she promised to "undertake common sense reforms to reduce the scourge of gun violence," which she sees as a public health crisis. But even that is gone from her Building Safer Communities page.

Now she refuses to debate Ramaswamy, taking a page out of the leftist playbook. She has been asked about guns repeatedly in comments to her social media posts, and she doesn't respond.

It's not only what she has said or not said, though, that has garnered her an endorsement from Everytown for Gun Safety's Gun Sense Voter, along with a few Gun Sense meet-and-greets. It is what she has actually done with the power she once had that counts. In fact, count these actions under her authority as Ohio Department of Health director:

• State shooting ranges were closed for three months from March to May 2020.
• The sales of nonresident hunting and fishing licenses were halted for a month.
• If you were an out-of-stater, you had to abide by a 14-day quarantine period to hunt or fish in Ohio.
• She even called off the state's presidential primary election hours before polls were scheduled to open.
• Then after all of that, she resigned because she couldn't handle the backlash.

Long before Acton's role as ODH director, she worked as a volunteer for Barack Obama, a staunch anti-gun zealot.

Ramaswamy's running mate as lieutenant governor is Rob McColley, current Ohio Senate president and a true Second Amendment advocate.

Running with Acton is David Pepper, former chair of the Ohio Democratic Party.

Also on the ballot is Libertarian Don Kissick, and a handful of write-in candidates have filed for governor.

Joe D. "Buck" Ruth, a pen name for Scott Hummel, 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.