Families Afield: Apprentice Hunting License Sales Soar to Nearly 400,000

Posted on by Buckeye Firearms Association

Plant a sapling and, in time, it will bear much fruit.

That’s the way to look at Families Afield, a program launched in 2004 by the National Shooting Sports Foundation, U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance and National Wild Turkey Federation to reduce states’ regulatory barriers to youth hunting.

Now firmly rooted in 29 states that have passed legislation lowering barriers to youth hunting, the program is producing bushels of new, young hunters. Families Afield’s latest report shows that from 2005 through 2009 more than 388,000 apprentice hunting licenses have been sold, based on 24 states reporting their license sales numbers. As the tree grows, the yield becomes greater: An increase of 100,000 apprentice hunting licenses occurred in 2009 alone.

“A lot of research went into making sure Families Afield was planned properly before its launch, and now because of that preparation Families Afield is really starting to pay dividends for youth hunters and for hunting in general,” said Chris Dolnack, senior vice president of NSSF, the trade association of the firearms industry.

States with the most apprentice hunting license sales are Pennsylvania, 102,663; Michigan, 59,929; and Ohio, 51,416.

Practicing Politics: Ignoring it will make things a lot worse for gun owners

Posted on by Buckeye Firearms Association

By Chris & Jeff Knox

Conditions have lined up for 2010 to be the year of the perfect electoral storm. But in order to create the kind of storm the Republic needs, one that cleans out an insubordinate and defiant Congress, GunVoters and pro-rights activists need to get organized. The time to start is now. Just as my friend, noted author and radio host Dave Ramsey says about saving money, it’s never too early to get involved in politics, but it’s better to get involved late than not to get involved at all. Whether you’re reading this in May, or October, you need to take action.

Chicago bans guns then watches its helpless citizens on 10,000 cameras

Posted on by Buckeye Firearms Association

by Gerard Valentino

Chicago is known as a world-class city, offering everything from a great nightlife to the arts, ethnic cuisine, championship sports teams, top universities, and excellent public transportation.

But Chicago’s real claim to fame is its world-class crime. Year after year, violent thugs slaughter Chicago’s citizens, making it one of the most violent places in the United States.

The city’s answer to this bloodbath is a system of more than 10,000 cameras to invade its citizens’ privacy and watch the effects of its draconian gun laws that render citizens helpless.

Bipartisan Bill Introduced to Restore Gun Ownership Right to Ohio Citizens

Posted on by Buckeye Firearms Association

Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) has announced that a bill to restore gun ownership rights has been introduced in the Ohio Senate.

Senator Jason Wilson (D-Columbia) introduced SB247 to align Ohio law with federal statutes regarding the restoration of rights to Ohio firearms purchasers. The bill is co-sponsored by Sens. Niehaus, Cafaro, Grendell, Buehrer, Coughlin and Seitz.

Due to a U.S. Supreme Court decision, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) has stopped accepting Ohio’s court orders restoring a citizen’s right to own firearms. The purpose of this bill is to update Ohio’s statutes to address this issue and protect Ohio citizens’ legal rights under the law.

Ken Hanson, Legislative Chair of Buckeye Firearms Association, said, “Someone who has been legally buying firearms, in some cases for many years after they received a legal Ohio restoration, may suddenly discover that he or she is back under a firearm disability because Ohio’s restoration of their firearm rights was not deemed complete by Federal authorities. The proposed bill realigns Ohio’s law with new Federal enforcement rules to effectively get the same result that has been working in Ohio for years.”

March second highest all-time for background checks on firearm sales

Posted on by Buckeye Firearms Association

Data released by the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) reported 1,300,100 checks in March 2010, ranking the month the second highest March (fifth highest month overall) for most NICS checks.

This figure, while being a 3.3 percent decrease from the 1,345,096 checks conducted in March 2009 — the early stage of an ongoing surge in firearms and ammunition sales — is an increase of 24.9 percent over checks in March 2008.

The total number of background checks reported since the beginning of NICS is 113,680,372.

Judge advises Ashtabula County residents to “arm themselves” in face of law enforcement cut-backs

Posted on by Buckeye Firearms Association

By Chad D. Baus

Ashtabula County Common Pleas Judge Alfred Mackey made national headlines over the weekend 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.

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