"STRONG Ohio" water-carrier Matt Dolan begins "listening tour" for Senate run

One would be hard-pressed to find a gun owner over the age of 35 in this state (perhaps even in this entire country) who doesn't remember the problems Mike DeWine created for the Second Amendment while he served in the United States Senate.

After he was voted out of office and returned to state politics, his record on the Second Amendment, first as state attorney general and now as governor, has been better in many respects. That being said, another surge of animosity no doubt hits Ohio gun owners when they think of DeWine's so-called "STRONG Ohio" gun control proposals.

In early August, 2019, after a mass murder was carried out in Dayton, Governor Mike DeWine announced a 17-point plan to address violence, which he termed his “STRONG Ohio” initiative. The plan was later introduced as SB 221, sponsored by State Sen. Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls). The Ohio House and Senate refused to vote on the bill and it died at the end of 2020.

The legacy, of course, will live on, and "STRONG Ohio's" Matt Dolan is now exploring the possibility of Ohioans sending him to Washington D.C. to occupy the same position of power once wielded so poorly by DeWine:

From WVIZ (NPR Cleveland):

Ohio State Sen. Matt Dolan (Chagrin Falls) is considering a run for Republican Rob Portman’s U.S. Senate seat, announcing Monday the launch of a statewide listening tour, called #OhioMatters, to determine if he’ll enter the race or not.

Dolan kicks off the listening tour Tuesday at a luncheon to be held at Lake County Republican Headquarters. Over the next two weeks, he’ll move on to Trumbull, Mahoning, Cuyahoga, Franklin, Lorain, Lucas, Wood, Ottawa and Ashland counties.

In a statement, Dolan said his agenda would include championing gun rights, school choice, religious freedom and being pro-life.

So there it is, the oh-so-familiar Republican primary promise to support gun rights, pinned on the hopes that gun owners have short memories or haven't been paying attention.

But as his friend Mike DeWine could surely advise him, gun owners have very LONG memories and ARE paying attention.

And for those who remember DeWine's Senate record on the Second Amendment, Dolan's willingness to carry the water for DeWine on "STRONG Ohio" is sure to be a signal that, if elected, they could expect more of the same.

So if you have the opportunity to see Sen. Dolan on one of his "listening tour" stops, think of Mike DeWine's time in the Senate and ask yourself a simple question:

"Do you want to go another round?"

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.