"King George" Voinvich attempting to convince his "subjects" he still supports the Second Amendment

By Jim Irvine

On July 22, 2009, Senator George Voinovich (R-Ohio) voted against a national reciprocity amendment that would have allowed persons with a concealed handgun license to carry their guns in most other states (Amendment 1618 to S1390). Later, in trying to explain his vote, Voinovich told told editors at the Columbus Dispatch that the Republican party's biggest problem is that Ohioans just can't relate to pro-gun Republicans from the South.

And now, one month later, via a letter of response to angry constituents, Voinovich is trying to explain that he is really their friend. If you believe that, he probably has some great swampland in Florida to sell you too.

Senator Voinovich starts his letter by quoting the Second Amendment. Maybe he should try reading it himself. He then mentions his co-signing an amicus brief in the Heller v D.C. gun case and a couple other pro-gun votes. While those are nice, it does not make him pro-gun.

George Voinovich is like a child molester that lists out some good things he has done, as if that offsets the bad things. That is not the way I measure my friends, or my legislators.

The fact is that in casting this vote, Senator Voinovich sided with rabid anti-gunners and voted against your right to carry license being recognized in other states. He claims to have voted to trample your rights because concealed carry "...is a states' rights issue."

"As a former Governor," he continues, "I believe strongly that the states are best suited to determine specific licensing requirements so long as they are consistent with the Second Amendment." This excuse was also offered by other anti-gun Senators, such as Dianne Feinstein and Chuck Schumer, who have no problem violating states' rights when it comes to passing gun control.

What part of "shall not be infringed" does George not understand? He apparently does not know what "consistent" means either, given his incoherent record on firearms issues.

Remember that when campaigning for Governor, Voinovich stated that he supported concealed carry. But as Governor, along with Lt. Gov. Mike DeWine, he opposed it and killed any chance at reform for his entire term in office. Even Bob Taft was better than that!

Voinovich notes that the amendment was opposed by mayors (led by Bloomberg) including "50 Ohio mayors." Actually, it's 49, now that Mayor Marlene Anielski resigned from NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg's gun control front group after discovering its true agenda.

But Voinovich made his allegiances clear by voting with the likes of Cleveland Mayor Jackson*, who refuses to follow the law and spends resources harassing law abiding citizens while hundreds are murdered on his streets.

He notes, "...I appreciate very well the concerns of local public officials...who believe the amendment would be harmful to public safety." On the other hand, he apparently has no concern for his constituents, who in poll after poll say they believe concealed carry laws enhance public safety. And that is the essence of King George. He does not care about the citizens (subjects, as he sees us), but only the radical agenda of out-of-control bureaucrats who seek to control us and what privileges we might be permitted to have.

It appears there is a lot more of our Constitution than the Second Amendment that the mighty lame duck Senator does not support.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman, and the host of Firearms Forum, Ohio's first talk radio show about guns and gun rights.

* Buckeye Firearms Foundation has sued the city of Cleveland and Mayor Jackson to force them to follow the law. It is seeking a temporary restraining order to stop prosecutions of law-abiding gun owners. Your support is needed to defeat Cleveland and other rogue cities that Senator Voinovich supports.