Wayne LaPierre, Executive Vice President, National Rifle Association & Chris W. Cox, Executive Director, National Rifle Association-Institute for Legislative Action On Thursday, August 05, 2010, the U.S. Senate confirmed Elena Kagan to…
Author: Buckeye Firearms Association
Ashtabula Co. citizens take judges’ advice to heart, help county sheriff’s department apprehend violent criminal
By Chad D. Baus
In April, Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey made national headlines after he advised residents to “arm themselves” in the face of severe budget cuts that have reduced the number of sheriff’s deputies in the state’s largest county by land area from 112 to 49, and parked all but one patrol car.
Last weekend, a group of residents armed themselves and helped the sheriff’s department find a wanted man.
Letter to the Editor: “Good for you BFA!”
Dear Editor:
I’d like to thank Buckeye Firearms and [the leaders] who wrote the reasoning behind the Strickland endorsement.
I’m no fan of Democrat candidates in general. But over the last few years I’ve been pretty disgusted that there’s not more than a dime’s worth of difference between most Democrats and Republicans anyway… so for BFA to endorse Strickland over Kasich PROVES that Ohio gun owners are serious about the subject of gun rights.
[BFA’s] article [“The Role of Single Issue PACs”] is right on the mark. We are in lock-step with our Constitutional rights and with individual freedom in the area of firearms, and not with some political party. I can only see this as a means to force politicians from ALL parties to consider a move toward our position. The Strickland endorsement expresses strength of conviction, something few politicians have, but are slowly learning to recognize. Those who have vascillated too much in the past will not likely see success; those who have remained true to principles will surpass them and be filtered to the top. Considering the significance of the 2010 election, this is the smartest move BFA could have made for the future of advancing firearms rights in Ohio.
Strickland campaign seeks to educate voters on Kasich’s anti-gun record
Governor Ted Strickland’s re-election campaign, under the banner Sportsmen for Strickland, has released two pieces of campaign literature aimed at Ohio’s pro-gun voters.
The first piece features a photograph of a camo-clad Strickland and his brother Roger standing next to a pickup trick holding shotguns. The caption reads “Ted and his brother Roger have enjoyed the outdoors their whole lives.”
Across the top of the flyer is the following large text:
Governor Ted Strickland
Pro-Second Amendment
Pro-Hunting
Below the photograph, the text notes that “As Congressman and Governor, Ted Strickland has been an unwavering supporter of our Second Amendment rights. The National Rifle Association has always rated Strickland an “A.”
The second half of the flyer provides a comparison between Strickland and his Republican opponent, John Kasich, on the gun issue. Both men were members of the United States Congress in the 1990’s and both men had the opportunity to vote on proposed gun control legislation. The Sportsmen for Strickland flyer, and a second flyer entitled “Kasich’s Dirty Dozen,” which will be detailed below, seeks to educate pro-gun voters on the contrasting voting records of the two former Congressmen.
Featuring a large “Ted Strickland A+, John Kasich F” graphic, the main thrust of the comparison between the two men on the Sportsmen for Strickland flyer is that, “in 1994, Ted Strickland voted AGAINST the Clinton Gun Ban and received an A+ from the NRA,” while “John Kasich voted FOR the Clinton Gun Ban and earned an F from the NRA.”
For many pro-gun voters, this is the beginning and the end of what they know about John Kasich’s record on gun rights. Indeed, when Buckeye Firearms Association announced its endorsement of Ted Strickland, some conservative bloggers actually questioned the judgment of BFA for having held “one anti-gun vote cast more than a decade and a half ago” against Mr. Kasich.
It is clear from the second piece of campaign literature that the Strickland campaign is determined to make sure pro-gun voters are informed that Mr. Kasich cast far more than “just” that one anti-gun vote.
NSSF Action Alert: Oppose Petition to Ban Traditional Ammunition
All Gun Owners, Hunters and Shooters,
The National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) — the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry — urges you to contact the Environmental Protection Agency to oppose a petition filed August 3 by the extremist Center for Biological Diversity to ban traditional ammunition. Your right to choose the ammunition you hunt and shoot with is at stake.
Express your opposition by calling or e-mailing:
Lisa P. Jackson
Administrator, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-4700
Fax: (202) 501-1450
Email: jackson.lisa@epa.gov
And
Steve Owens
Assistant Administrator, Prevention, Pesticides & Toxic Substances U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
1200 Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, DC 20460
(202) 564-2902
Fax: (202) 546-0801
Email: Owens.steve@epa.gov
Background:
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms, ammunition, hunting and shooting sports industry, encourages all gun owners, hunters and shooters to oppose the petition filed with the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) seeking to ban the use of traditional ammunition containing lead-core components. This ban would apply to ALL ammunition including ammunition used by target shooters.
Buckeye Firearms Association and third party candidates
Buckeye Firearms Association has received several inquiries about why there are no third party candidates listed among our graded and endorsed candidates for the 2010 general election.
BFA has received surveys from some third party candidates in this election cycle. In the primary, we did choose to grade candidates in several contests where there were contested races on a third party ballot.
However in the general election, due to limited volunteer resources, we had to utilize a selection criteria to keep the process manageable. This year none of the third party candidates who submitted surveys met our candidate selection criterion.
Since we are nonpartisan, we do not factor in party membership or issues not directly related to gun rights. However, we must consider the realities of our abilities. We have many ideas that deserve more attention, but we simply lack the resources to act on everything we wish we could do.
History Channel’s ‘Top Shot’ casting call deadline nears
Show off your shooting skills with pistol, rifle and shotgun and earn a chance to win $100,000 in prizes on the History Channel’s competition show “Top Shot.” Producers are seeking participants with…
Anti-gun Columbus judge’s comment elicits no outrage from sympathetic media
by Gerard Valentino
The Columbus Dispatch ran an article this past week that included a quote which illustrates the insidious nature of the anti-gun mindset.
The article in question covered the sentencing of two men who were convicted of having a gun in a bar. While letting the two convicted criminals know their fate, Common Pleas Judge John F. Bender stated:
“If I had my way, handguns would be illegal for everyone in this society except police officers. … It destroys society.”
For a judge, such a view is clearly prejudicial, and by inserting his unenlightened and ignorant view of private gun ownership into the courtroom he is setting a dangerous precedent. Because Judge Bender was sentencing men with a criminal past, his statement didn’t elicit outrage.
Regardless of the context, the judge’s statements put in question his impartiality when a law-abiding mother of three, or an elderly man robbed in his own home appear in his courtroom.
His words are an admission of a willingness to insert his biased view on private gun ownership when considering the facts of a case — a viewpoint that is out of step with the legal system after the United States Supreme Court twice ruled that the right to bear arms is a fundamental individual right.
Buckeye Firearms Association announces 2010 general election grades and endorsements
by Jim Irvine
Buckeye Firearms Association is pleased to announce our 2010 general election endorsements.
The biggest change you will note this year is that grades have been given to all candidates.* This is response to feedback from our supporters and candidates. We now list every candidate with a letter grade, or a “??” if we do not know anything about them. While it is possible for a “??” -graded candidate to be a supporter of your Second Amendment rights, most supporters know us and are known by us. Be careful.
What the grades mean:
A+ = a strong supporter who has done more than vote with us every time. They are candidates that have answered a call to do specific work to improve our laws. We have kept the A+ rating very rare so you can identify the best of the best.
A = a candidate who supports what we have done and what we have left to do.
B = a candidate who agrees with most of what we are doing and most of what we hope to accomplish in the upcoming legislative session.
C = a candidate who has been helpful with some issues but has been against us on others. Oftentimes they simply need education to help them understand our issue, but sometimes they have concerns that we can not address without unduly burdening the law-abiding gun owner.
D = someone who generally votes against us, but is not necessarily hostile towards our rights.
F = someone who has a terrible voting record, is openly hostile toward our rights, and/ or has worked or helped others to restrict our rights.
?? = Someone who did not return a candidate survey, has no voting record, and for whom we could not find any pertinent information relating to firearms rights.
Letter to the Editor: OSU Dean’s anti-gun letter poorly researched
The following letter by Buckeye Firearms Foundation board member Gerard Valentino was published in the Aug. 2 edition of The Columbus Dispatch in response to a letter entitled “Guns in bars are public health threat“: