Special thanks to Michelle Malkin for passing this story on to her many readers at MichelleMalkin.com.

By Chad D. Baus

U.S. Senator John McCain's presidential campaign recently announced the National Steering Committee of the Sportsmen for McCain coalition. Included on that list are two prominent Ohioans - Michael Budzik, the former chief of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Division of Wildlife, and Congressman Bob Latta (R-5), a current Buckeye Firearms Association endorsee for Congress and multiple past-endorsee .

According to the press release, the two Ohioans are among those in the angling, hunting and shooting communities who are working across the country to emphasize John McCain's dedication to protecting American's right to gun ownership plus his commitment to preserving and promoting our hunting, angling and shooting traditions.

John McCain said, "I am proud to have the support of these national and state leaders within the sportsmen's community and know that their support is integral to my bid to become your next president. It would be an honor to serve as your president and carry on the guiding principles of Theodore Roosevelt, America's foremost conservation president."

This information originally appeared on the Sportsmen For Obama? blog.

In 1999 Obama suggested a law that would prevent all gun stores within a five mile radius of schools and parks (See Obama's Draconian Gun Control). In the following map, the white area is the calculated exclusion zone along the I-25 corridor around Denver and farther north and south along the highway to the borders of Colorado. The exclusion zone extends from north of Fort Collins to south of Colorado Springs varying from about 5 miles to probably 60 miles wide.

By John Longenecker

What are we really electing in 2008?

I write for the non-gun owners in America. Often, I say is that what it is about guns isn’t even about guns. It is the thesis upon which I base my book, Safe Streets. It is about how we manage our Burdens, beginning with the very first one, Personal Safety, as opposed to assuming that someone else will do it for us (which cannot be done). This presents America with another example germane to the 2008 election for all offices.

In Part I of Guns And 2008, I spoke of how the Candidates have an opportunity to unify Americans by recognizing how we respect one another on various levels when we carry these burdens - from home ownership to parenting to business ownership - and how fighting Crime by recognizing Citizen Authority can be that common ground on an even broader scale. The key, of course, is to understand how 80 Million gun owners and many more non-gun owners understand the concept, and not to try to get constituents to appreciate how officials understand it. Which brings us to part II, wei ji.

By Chad D. Baus

Now that Barack Obama has announced Delaware Senator Joe Biden as his running mate, it can be said with assurance that there could be no greater anti-Second Amendment ticket put together for Democrats if Sarah Brady hand-picked them herself.

Former Joyce Foundation board member Barack Obama's anti-gun record has already been well documented on this website. His own NRA F-rated record is matched in his running mate by a much longer NRA F-rated one.

By John Longenecker

The Very First Personal Burden Goes Unaddressed By Candidates.

What is it about Guns? . . a question addressed by many except Presidential Candidates where the subject seems to be Verboten. Here's a new wrinkle: As the 2008 Presidential Candidates remain mute or vague on Liberty questions, especially in light of the recent Supreme Court Decision that gun bans are unconstitutional, you'd think they'd comment.

Are they missing a bet?

The Associated Press is reporting that Dick Heller, the man whose lawsuit overturned Washington's handgun ban, has successfully registered his revolver, ending a more than 30-year wait to keep the weapon in his home.

USA Today reported recently that the Transportation Security Administration may allow airports to ban firearms from terminals, parking lots, roads and other airport areas where many states currently allow passengers to carry lethal weapons, eliminating persons' right to bear arms for self-defense even while driving to and from the airport.

By Chad D. Baus

Politico.com is reporting that, while few hunters are pining for a day in the woods with Barack Obama, a surprising number of sportsmen say they’ll vote for him – far more than backed Al Gore or goose-hunting John Kerry.

Citing a Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation poll released Wednesday, the Politico story notes that John McCain leads former Joyce Foundation board member Barack Obama by 45 to 31 percent. The story notes this is only about half the 27-point edge respondents say they gave George W. Bush over Kerry four years ago and far short of the 65-to-15 percent margin gun owners gave to Bush over Gore in 2000.

The Washington Post is reporting that Democratic leaders in the U.S. House of Representatives have agreed to allow a vote next month on a bill that would end local handgun control in the District, making it easier for D.C. residents to acquire pistols, including semiautomatics, while eliminating the strict handgun-storage requirements imposed by the city.

Even as Democrats shuttered the Capitol for the summer vacation without addressing other critical election year issues, such as energy crisis contributing to $4 gasoline, the National Rifle Association managed to force the D.C. gun ban issue onto the table by announcing that it would be grading members on whether they sign a discharge petition to force a vote on a similar, GOP-backed bill.

Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said in a statement that those Democrats "hope to relieve election year pressure by getting a Democratic-backed bill to the floor, out of fear that the [National Rifle Association] will run hometown ads against their reelection."