BFA PAC endorsee's 'Machine Gun Social' has gun ban extremists in a tizzy

"A+" rated 2014 Buckeye Firearms Association PAC endorsee Ron Maag's recent announcement that he would be holding a 'Machine Gun Social' - a fundraiser involving the opportunity to fire fully-automatic firearms - has gun ban extremists, including his political opponent, in a tizzy.

On October 12, the Cincinnati Enquirer published an op-ed by Democrat Charlene Schneider, a psychologist who says she is running against Maag specifically because of his stance on Ohioans gun rights. From the op-ed, entited "Nothing ‘social’ about machine guns:"

Maag and I are on the opposite ends of the spectrum on most issues, but it was his position and attitude on guns that helped me make the final decision to challenge him in this election. At the end of 2013 he sent out a letter to his constituents bragging that he had been responsible for legislation that now allows conceal/carry license holders to take their concealed weapons into day care centers. Day care centers? That’s the place Ron Maag is most proud to let Ohioans take their guns? Does he seriously not have the precious, innocent faces of the children who lost their lives in the Sandy Hook massacre cemented in his brain to haunt him like most of us do? If the shooter had not had an automatic weapon, if he had to reload, fewer lives would have been lost.

No, in case you have forgotten, the Sandy Hook murderer did not have an automatic weapon, and yes, he had to reload. But Democrat Charlene Schneider claims otherwise.

There are three options here:

A) When the truth doesn't benefit Charlene Schneider, she makes up her own.

B) Charlene Schneider's entire campaign is based on something about which she knows nothing.

C) All of the above.

Fundraisers involving fully-automatic weapons are not new to Ohio. This isn't even Maags's first 'Machine Gun Social.' But Charlene Schneider clearly hasn't been paying attention.

In 2012, Representative Margaret Conditt announced a similar event, and the resulting tirade from gun ban extremists helped the event become a huge success - something we later discovered through a public records request was anticipated by a Michael Bloomberg crony who, at the time, was working in Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's office.

The Bloomberg crony, Lee Roberts, actually tried to kill a press conference staged by Democrat legislators and the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence to criticize the Conditt fundraiser.

From the Roberts emails:

April 25, 2012:

"It really should be something Progress Ohio does a snarky email about and maybe some liberal group uses to raise money, not something we should be a part of. I'm going to try to kill it or at the least keep us out of it."

May 1, 2012, under the subject line "Remember that press conference I was trying to kill."

"This has been the biggest cluster ever."

May 4, 2012, Roberts forward a link to a Buckeye Firearms Association report about the fundraiser, telling his New York bosses:

"...that press conference OCAGV was having was a bad idea. They are going to raise a ton of cash off this now and have their own event talking about how it shows people support their agenda."

And, of course, that is just what happened. Later that summer, Maag hosted his first 'Machine Gun Social,' which drew the attention of ABC News. In coverage at the time, I wrote:

The results are clear. If you want to have a successful fundraiser, earn some free media coverage for your campaign and cause infighting among the gun ban crowd as a bonus, sponsor a machine gun shoot!

I don't know if there has been any infighting this go 'round, but Charlene Schneider is doing a wonderful job at helping her opponent publicize his fundraiser! Her op-ed has resulted, once again, in national promotion for Maag's event, details for which follow:

Saturday, October 25th
11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Hob Camp Nature Reserve 1815 S. State Route 123
Lebanon, Ohio 45036

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.