2009 - The Year In Review

By Chad D. Baus

While there is far too much to cover in a single article, we reflect on some of the important events of 2009.

January:

The year begins with the inauguration of former Joyce Foundation board member Barack Hussein Obama, who quickly proves he lied during the campaign in describing himself as a pro-Second Amendment candidate by announcing the administration's declaration of war on American gun owners on the new White House website.

In response to an unprecedented spike in sales of firearms resulting from the election, The Outdoor Wire names Barack Obama its "Gun Salesman of the Year".

The 111th Congress kicks off with the introduction of one of the most draconian gun control bills to be offered in years. Representative Bobby Rush (D-IL), a former Black Panther leader, files H.R. 45, which he calls the "Blair Holt's Firearm Licensing and Record of Sale Act of 2009."

February:

Newly-appointed U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder confirms what pro-gun activists warned of before Election Day - that the Obama administration intends to ban your guns.

Buckeye Firearms Foundation, Inc., an Ohio not-for profit foundation, files a lawsuit in the Common Pleas Court of Cuyahoga County, Ohio seeking a temporary restraining order and permanent injunction to stop the City of Cleveland from prosecuting law-abiding gun owners under local ordinances that restrict gun ownership and concealed carry (CCW). The lawsuit also asks the Court to declare 20 different local ordinances unconstitutional on the grounds of state preemption of firearm laws.

March:

Buckeye Firearms Association receives confirmation from the Ohio Department of Transportation that all "NO GUNS" signs at rest stops and visitor centers have been removed.

Using misleading statistics from the Mexican drug-war as an excuse, newly-appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton echoes recent comments made by Obama's Attorney General in pushing for a gun ban. The administration also moves to ban the use of lead for fishing or hunting would be banned in the National Park System.

On a more positive note, the Obama Department of Defense rescinds a decision to require all once-fired military brass be shredded rather than sold for repurposing to consumers and domestic agencies after significant outcry from grassroots gun owners.

Nationwide ammunition shortages are reported as economic instability and fears of draconian gun and ammunition restrictions pushed an already-stretched manufacturing system beyond its capacity.

April:

A 25-year Toledo police veteran advises residents to "Buy guns. Invest in precious metals: lead, gun power and brass."

Pro-gun Delaware Co. Prosecutor Dave Yost announces his bid for Ohio Attorney General in 2010.

State Rep. John Adams' introduces House Bill 129, legislation that would amend Ohio's concealed carry law to a model similar to the State of Alaska.

News reports suggest that Obama's gun control plans center on ratification of a United Nations treaty as an end-run around the Constitution. In addition, the administration makes waves when it labels millions upon millions of Americans as 'rightwing extremists.'

The nation's leading conservation organizations send a letter to Rush Limbaugh urging the talk radio personality to cease his support of America's number one opponent of sportsman traditions, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).

Bolstered by a new anti-gun administration, the anti-gun media kicks into high gear. Diane Sawyer is caught rigging a mass shooting experiment on 20/20, and Buckeye Firearms Association exposes the anti-gun agenda behind ABC News' "Before Arranging Playdates, Ask About Guns".

During a discussion on guns, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi tells ABC's Good Morning, America "We want them registered."

May:

President Obama nominates Judge Sonia Sotomayor to the U.S. Supreme Court despite revelations that she had once ruled on a Second Circuit Appeals Court panel that the Second Amendment is not a fundamental right and does not apply to the states.

WSB-TV in Atlanta uncovers what Rush Limbaugh has somehow been unable to see: that HSUS is "an organization actively misleading donors to get money." HSUS launches an all-out war on WSB for publishing its story, quickly pushing the news station to take the video and text of the story off of its website, and getting all of the text versions removed from Google as well. The news report was subsequently reposted on a non-U.S. server apparently outside of HSUS influence.

Congress votes 279-147 to restore self-defense rights to visitors of the country's national parks, just weeks after Obama administration officials took away the common-sense privilege.

Reports of drastic increases in concealed handgun license applications flood in from across the country, even as gun purchase data shows that Americans have purchase enough guns in 3 months to outfit the entire Chinese and Indian Armies.

The National Rifle Association selects Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair Linda Walker to receive the 2009 Sybil Ludington Women's Freedom Award.

June:

Appearing as a guest on the Firearms Forum radio show with host and Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine, Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray announced that, in anticipation of the Supreme Court of the United States taking such a case, he has agreed to sign a brief being prepared by the State of Texas in support of the Second Amendment applying to the states.

Ohio Congressman Bob Latta imposes a "nuclear" option to oppose a proposed Customs and Border Patrol measure designed to change the definition of a switchblade knife via an amendment that would remove the agency's funding.

State Senator Kevin Coughlin, the first person to declare his candidacy for the Republican nomination in the 2010 governor's race, circulates an email noting that in 1994 John Kasich voted for the centerpiece of Bill Clinton's gun control agenda - H.R. 3355 banning assault weapons. Kasich responds with a statement noting he has since learned "that guns are not the problem – it's the bad people who abuse guns."

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray's office files a Motion to Intervene in a lawsuit filed by Buckeye Firearms Foundation, Inc. against the City of Cleveland.

Representative Danny Bubp (R-88) of West Union and Rep. Jarrod Martin (R-70) of Beavercreek introduce House Bill 203, which seeks to "allow a concealed carry licensee who is not consuming liquor and is not under the influence to carry a concealed handgun in a retail food establishment or food service operation with any class liquor permit issued for the location."

July:

House Bill 1, the two year budget adopted by the Ohio General Assembly, contains some changes to Ohio's firearm laws, including language which specifically acknowledges that ammunition loaded in enbloc clips or stripper clips is NOT considered loaded in a "magazine or speed loader" for the purposes of determining whether a firearm is unloaded.

Falling just two votes short of the 60 necessary to prevent a filibuster, the United States Senate fails to pass an amendment that would have made concealed carry licenses valid in all states that issue them. One of the anti-gun votes comes from the Republican Senator from Ohio, George Voinovich.

Buckeye Firearms Association joins the rapidly growing coalition of groups that are officially on record opposing the nomination of Sonia Sotomayor as a justice to the U.S. Supreme Court. NRA announces its opposition to the confirmation of Sotomayor, and notifies all members of the U.S. Senate that NRA-ILA will be scoring Senators based on their vote.

Mike DeWine announces his candidacy for Ohio Attorney General, just a two and a half years after he was thrown out of his U.S. Senate seat by voters after running around sporting a Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence (formerly Handgun Control Inc.) endorsement because "his record really wowed the group."

Republican State Senator Kevin Coughlin announces the end of his gubernatorial campaign via an email to his supporters, leaving the campaign for the GOP nomination for governor in 2010 wide open for John Kasich.

August:

Walton Hills, OH Mayor Marlene Anielski gains nationwide attention after informing Buckeye Firearms Association of her decision to resign as a member of the gun control front group New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg founded, and misleadingly named "Mayors Against Illegal Guns" (MAIG). Anielski says she only joined after being misled about the true nature of the organization.

MSNBC is caught using deceptively-edited video from a Phoenix, AZ anti-tax rally to invent a racial stereotype in its on-going effort to demonize and marginalize American firearms owners as "racists." What MSNBC purposely did not reveal with the deliberately doctored video is that the man carrying that sport-utility rifle was an African-American.

Senate votes 68-31 to confirm anti-gun Second Circuit Judge Sonia Sotomayor as a Justice of the Supreme Court. Ohio's lame duck Senator, Republican George Voinovich, shafts gun owners for a second time in as many months by voting to confirm.

September:

The U.S. Supreme Court accepts a second historic gun rights case. The ruling on McDonald v. City of Chicago could affect the laws of every state and city in the nation, as the Court focuses on "incorporation" of the Second Amendment. Buckeye Firearms Foundation announces plans to participating in the case by filing a "friend of the court" brief, and that it has secured the support of the United States Concealed Carry Association as a co-party.

Buckeye Firearms Association receives word from more Ohio mayors who have asked to be removed from the membership roster of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG), with some saying they feel misled about the true intent of the group, and others saying they don't recall agreeing to join in the first place.

20,000 TEA Party attendees hear Buckeye Firearms Association Region Leader Joe Eaton question presumptive GOP gubernatorial nominee candidate John Kasich on gun rights in Ohio.

Buckeye Firearms Association launches the biggest "where to hunt" database in America.

October:

Governor Ted Strickland attends 2009 Buckeye Bash, promises to veto any anti-gun legislation.

Representative Seth Morgan (R-36) of Huber Heights and Rep. Jarrod Martin (R-70) of Beavercreek introduce House Bill 315, which seeks to "provide that ammunition, firearms, and firearm accessories that are manufactured and remain in Ohio are not subject to federal laws and regulations derived under Congress' authority to regulate interstate commerce and to require the words "Made in Ohio" be stamped on a central metallic part of any firearm manufactured and sold in Ohio."

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg issues questionable "report" on gun shows. In response to a video released by Bloomberg, who reportedly spent $1.5 million of tax payer money to send private investigators to Ohio, Tennessee and Nevada gun shows, show operator Dave Goodman announces steps he is taking to better ensure that all laws are being followed at future Bill Goodman's Gun and Knife Shows.

Buckeye Firearms Association announces bid to put Ken Hanson, BFA Legislative Chair and author of The Ohio Guide to Firearm Laws, on the NRA Board of Directors.

November:

Buckeye Firearms Foundation teams up with the United States Concealed Carry Association, files a "friend of the court" brief in the McDonald v. Chicago United States Supreme Court case on gun rights.

U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder indicates his office hasn't backed away from earlier calls for new gun control, stating that his office is "currently reviewing existing gun laws to determine how best to combat gun violence and keep guns out of the hands of criminals and others prohibited from possessing them."

A three judge panel in the 8th Ohio District Court of Appeals sides with Cleveland in the city's fight to enforce its illegal local gun control ordinances. The court declares that Ohio R.C 9.68 - which became law in 2007 with passage of HB347 to preempt local gun control and ensure statewide uniformity of gun laws - is unconstitutional. Attorney General Richard Cordray asks for the Cleveland Appellate Court to stay their order until the case can be heard by the state Supreme Court.

Buckeye Firearms Association leader Linda Walker is in attendance as State Representatives Danny R. Bubp (R-West Union) and Jarrod B. Martin (R-Beavercreek) give sponsor testimony in support of House Bill 203 before the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee.

Buckeye Firearms Assoc. volunteer discusses concerns of gun control loophole in health care bill with Congressman Zack Space.

13 murdered, 30 wounded by at "no-guns" Ft. Hood Army base by man shouting "Allahu Akbar!" Subsequently it is revealed that the attacker was American Army Major Malik Nadal Hasan, a Muslim who the FBI were already aware was in contact with al Qaeda operatives.

December:

A bill intending to allow passengers to check guns on Amtrak trains has a typo in it requiring not just the gun, but the passenger to be "locked in boxes for their journey."

Ohio Republican Party does not endorse in Attorney General race between staunch pro-gun candidate Dave Yost and staunch anti-gun candidate Mike DeWine.

An Ohio man who was hunting for deer during gun season bags a bull elk instead.

Randy Barnett, writer for the pro-gun blog The Volokh Conspiracy, reports that the Ohio State University's Second Amendment Research Center (SARC), an anti-gun "think tank" with strong ties to Barack Obama, has been shut down.

The Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program, NRA's groundbreaking gun accident prevention course for children, surpasses yet another milestone by reaching its 23 millionth child.

Preliminary statistics released by the FBI for the first half of 2009 show that violent crime continues a downward trend that began in 2006, undermining a favorite argument of anti-gun groups and some mainstream media that "more guns equal more crime." The decrease in violent crime from late 2008 through the first half of 2009 occurred at the same time that firearm sales were surging.