Gun ban extremist drops bid for governorship 27 days after entering race

The Cleveland Plain Dealer's Julie Carr Smyth was first to report that State Sen. Eric Fingerhut is dropping out of the race for governor just 27 days after he formally announced his candidacy.

The Associated Press has since published a more extensive story on this good news for Ohio gun owners.

On the day the Buckeye State's concealed carry bill passed into law, Fingerhut told the Cleveland Plain Dealer that "It's going to lead to tragedies and accidents of all kinds." And in 2001, he told the Cincinnati Post that "the presence of a gun is actually likely to escalate violence."

Eric Fingerhut could not have been more wrong about Ohio's concealed carry law then, and it appears Democrats have let him know they believe he could not be more wrong for Ohio now.

Fingerhut is term-limited and cannot run for re-election in the Ohio Senate. His departure from the gubernatorial race leaves as the three front-runners Buckeye Firearms Association-endorsees Ken Blackwell and Jim Petro on the Republican ticket, and NRA "A"-rated Ted Strickland on the Democrat ticket.