Pro-Gun Punditry: Wednesday's Buckeye State Roundabout

By Chris Chumita

There are more stories pertaining to our gun rights in Ohio then we can possibly draw attention to with individual daily commentary. But they are worthy of mention.

What follows is our review of headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.
From cops leaving burglars in the house to a candidate's forum in Suffield, these articles should be a part of your required reading!
Click on the "Read More..." link below for several days of headlines accompanied by short, concise pro-gun analysis.

9/23/06: Cleveland, Ohio: Baby Sitter Says Officer Left Her At Home With Burglar

From the article:

A baby sitter, taking care of her cousins and her sister, called for help when she heard someone breaking into the home. However, when police arrived, 5 On Your Side investigator Ron Regan discovered, an officer came and went, leaving a burglar inside the home.

This is a perfect example why we can't solely rely on the police to protect us. Luckily, it was just a burglar and not a sex offender.

9/12/06: Columbus, Ohio: Cities Win One

From the article:

A state appeals-court decision upholding Toledo’s ban on guns and other weapons in city parks is good news for Columbus and other Ohio cities.

Clyde, in Sandusky County, and Elyria, in Lorain County, are among the few Ohio municipalities that prohibit the carrying of weapons into their parks and other recreation areas. The ruling Sept. 1 by the state’s 6 th District Court of Appeals, in Toledo, is expected to encourage other cities, including Columbus, to pass similar bans on guns in parks.

The ruling is flat out wrong. It totally infringes on our right to use a firearm to protect ourselves and our families from criminals. It does NOT make the parks safer for anyone, but the criminals. Due to this ruling, criminals can rest assured that their victims will be defenseless. Any bets if the lawmaker's armed body guards would be disarmed like the rest of us?

Also from the article:

Visitors should not have to worry that the person next to them has a gun tucked away on their person or in a picnic basket.

Visitors do not have to worry about law-abiding citizens who have CHLs. They do have to worry about armed criminals who are there to rape, rob, assault, or kill them. Lawmakers and gun-grabbers seem to forget that criminals do not obey the law and will only be encouraged by a gun ban in the parks.

9/23/06: National: Editorial: The Constitution's Gun-Control Pledge

From the article:

Cornell, a professor at Ohio State University, passed through town the other day with much to say about regulating guns. Yet his aim isn't to take sides in the modern gun-control debate -- a squabble he thinks has strayed rather off-topic. It's far more interesting, he thinks, to look back to learn what this country's founders actually thought about gun regulation.

They couldn't imagine life without it, says Cornell. That's the point of his new book, "A Well Regulated Militia: The Founding Fathers and the Origins of Gun Control in America." In it, Cornell excavates the foundations of the Second Amendment and offers some startling conclusions.

Does this junk remind anyone else of Michael Bellesile's book "Arming America: The Origins Of A National Gun Culture?" Bellesile attacked the long standing notion that guns were widely used and owned in the early America. It was an attempt to say that there is not a historic arguement about gun ownership in America. It was quickly discovered that a portion of his research was based on records that did not exist, or was destroyed years before he conducted his research. At this time we cannot state that Cornell's work is a fraud as well, but it appears to have an agenda.

9/23/06: Chardon Township, Ohio: Bow Hunting Cruel, Women Say: Two Offer $6,000 For Sharpshooters To Thin Geauga Herd

From the article:

Two women who believe killing deer with bows and arrows is too cruel have offered to hire sharpshooters with rifles to thin herds in the Geauga County Park District.

Linda O'Brien, 58, of Russell Township and Bebe Ober, 85, of South Russell, have each agreed to pay $3,000 to hire professional hunters, saying the park district's plan to allow bow hunting in the 8,000-acre park is barbaric.

Instead of hiring professional sharpshooter, why don't you just open it up to all gun hunters?

9/22/06: Marietta, Ohio: More Chances To Hunt In City Expected To Boost This Year’s Deer Harvest

From the article:

Increased hunting opportunities in the city of Marietta and statewide are expected to help boost this year’s deer harvest totals.

Ohio’s statewide archery season opens Sept. 30, and includes restricted hunting inside Marietta city limits for the second year.

The Buckeye Firearms Association supports all types of hunters. Any increase in hunting land, or any extension of the hunting season is a victory.

9/21/06: Toledo, Ohio: Toledo Police Plan Gun Lock Giveaway

From the article:

Toledo police are giving away gun locks to encourage people to help prevent gun accidents, officials announced yesterday.

Gun safety is everyone's responsibility. Please remember that educating your children about guns is a extremely important, but often over looked aspect of gun safety.

9/20/06: Suffield, Ohio: Strickland, Blackwell Pay A Visit To Portage

From the article:

The two candidates for Ohio governor came to Portage County Tuesday and in a rare moment during this campaign, they appeared together.

Republican Ken Blackwell and Democratic Ted Strickland appeared before the Ohio Federation of Conservation Clubs Inc. at the Goodyear Hunting and Fishing Club in Suffield.

They didnt talk about taxes, schools, the economy, jobs or any other of the normal campaign issues. They talked about guns, hunting, and fishing.

Its nice to see that both candidates are fighting hard to earn votes from Ohio gun owners. However, it would be nice to see Libertarian candidate, Bill Pierce, invited to these events.