Buckeye Firearms Assn. informs Ohio mayors of proof they've been misled by Mayors Against Illegal Guns; 11 drop out - Has yours?

This article will be UPDATED as more mayors drop out.

by Chad D. Baus

Buckeye Firearms Association has put Ohio members of New York City Mayor Bloomberg's Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG) on notice: They were misled when they agreed to join the group, and they no longer have any excuse to claim they didn't know.

In late Spring 2011, after Florida Carry, Inc. founder Sean Caranna uncovered evidence that the City of Orlando was using taxpayer money to fund a portion of the salary and other expenses for MAIG "Regional Coordinator" to operate out of the mayor's office, Buckeye Firearms Association and Media Trackers Ohio (MTO), operating independently, submitted public records requests to Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman's office. Coleman's office was identified by Caranna as one of at least ten such mayor's offices with MAIG operatives already in place across the country.

Thousands upon thousands of emails were delivered. Since then, we've published several articles by MTO's Jesse Hathaway here at BuckeyeFirearms.org, in addition to information we uncovered in our own articles, all of which make some startling revelations.

On the week of December 10, we began an effort to notify all of the Ohio mayors listed by MAIG as members on their internal membership contact lists (obtained via the public records request), about the substance of these investigations.

Namely, these mayors (listed below) have been informed that, contrary to what they were told when they were recruited, MAIG has been doing far more than going after so-called "illegal" guns – they’re working to oppose efforts to defend and improve the Second Amendment rights for law-abiding Ohioans. And we have offered their members the proof.

Following is an excerpt from the letter we've sent to all Ohio MAIG members:

What Mayors Against Illegal Guns told you when they recruited you:

"Mayors Against Illegal Guns aims to bring attention to the problem of illegal guns. We call for tougher enforcement of existing federal gun laws, and we advocate for legislation to close loopholes in our nation's gun background check system, loopholes that criminals use every day in our state to purchase guns illegally.” (emphasis added)

What a public records request reveals MAIG is actually doing behind the scenes:

- Opposing legal and licensed Ohio gun owners' right to protect their families in restaurants.
- Opposing legal and licensed Ohio gun owners' right to carry their firearm in a motor vehicle in any safe manner they chose.
- Opposing the right of Ohio citizens who have made a mistake, paid their debt to society, and had their constitutional and civil rights restored by a judge, from having their Second Amendment rights legally restored.
- Conspiring to take advantage of the tragic school shooting in Chardon, OH to grow their email list within hours of the shooting itself.
- Opposing several other bills that seek to make improvements to the law for legal and licensed gun owners.

Who they're communicating and conspiring with behind the scenes (to name a few):

- ProgressOhio (radical leftist political group)
- Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence (radical anti-Second Amendment group)
- Media Matters for America (radical leftist political group)
- Violence Policy Center (radical anti-Second Amendment group)

Much of what they do to oppose the rights of law-abiding Ohioans they do in secret, or through proxies like ProgressOhio. If they want to speak publicly, but are afraid doing so will blow MAIG's cover of being focused solely on "illegal guns," they just put out a statement in Mayor Coleman's name. These statements are usually drafted and/or edited in New York City.

That's right – people in New York City are attempting to influence the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding gun owners in Ohio by using Mayor Coleman as a puppet. MAIG's Lee Roberts even helped Coleman craft his 2011 State of the City address!

Is this what you signed up for when you agreed to become a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns?

Is this what your constituents want you to be doing as a representative and leader of your community?

If not, then it's time for you to tell MAIG you no longer wish to be a part of their anti-Second Amendment front group.

Please inform MAIG today that you no longer wish to be associated with them. Fax your resignation to Mayor Coleman at 614-645-5818, or call 614-645-7671. Or you may notify Mayor Bloomberg's office by faxing 212-788-6834 or by calling 212-788-2632.

We also offered to send, to any mayor who asks, the actual emails that prove the facts we've laid out.

Finally, the mayors were advised that, in the near future, the public would be notified that they had been given the facts about MAIG, and given an opportunity to drop out of the group.

And so, here we are today. Already ELEVEN Ohio mayors have dropped out of MAIG.

Mayor Eric W. Fulcomer
Bluffton, OH

Mayor Gary Lee Young
Greenville, OH

Mayor Larry Haver
Hicksville, OH

Mayor Robert L. Benson
Navarre, OH

Mayor David T. Handwerk
Orrville, OH

Mayor Vincent P. Leone
Port Clinton, OH

Mayor John Berlin
Salem, OH

Mayor Robert Newhart
Shadyside, OH

Mayor Jerry Vinci
Tiltonsville, OH

Mayor Scott D. Washburn
Upper Sandusky, OH

Mayor Doug Shaw
Wauseon, OH

(Please don't contact mayors whose names are crossed out unless you wish to thank them!)

The following mayors are listed as MAIG members. Perhaps they need to hear from YOU - especially if you live in their city or village.

Mayor Dan Pillow (D)
Addyston, OH
513-941-1313 x12

Mayor Donald Plusquellic (D)
Akron, OH
330-375-2345

Mayor Bernard Baronowski (D)
Andover, OH
440-293-4747
[email protected]

Mayor Ronald A. Bischof
Barnesville, OH
740-619-0279
[email protected]

Mayor Merle Gorden (D)
Beachwood, OH
216-292-1901
[email protected]

Mayor Daniel Pocek (D)
Bedford, OH
440-735-6516

Mayor Fletcher Berger
Bedford Heights, OH
440-786-3211
[email protected]

Mayor Cyril Kleem
Berea, OH
440-826-5820
[email protected]

Mayor John Licastro (R)
Bratenahl, OH
216-681-4266
[email protected]

Mayor Samuel Alai (D)
Broadview Heights, OH
(440) 526-3651
[email protected]

Mayor David Seagraves
Brookville, OH
937-833-3424

Mayor Lowell E. Anderson
Caldwell, OH
740-732-2635
[email protected]

Mayor William J. Healy II (D)
Canton, OH
330-438-4301
[email protected]

Mayor Tammy D. Drobina
Carroll, OH
740-756-4031
[email protected]

Mayor Diana Stockmaster
Centerburg, OH
740-625-7808
[email protected]

Mayor Mark Mallory (D)
Cincinnati, OH
513-352-3250
[email protected]

Mayor Frank Jackson (D)
Cleveland, OH
216-664-3544

Mayor Edward Kelley (D)
Cleveland Heights, OH
216-291-3737
[email protected]

Mayor Danny Stacy
Cleves, OH
513-941-5127 ext. 39
[email protected]

Mayor Michael Coleman (D)
Columbus, OH
614-645-7671

Mayor William Armentrout
Creston, OH
330-465-5779
[email protected]

Mayor Gary Leitzell (I)
Dayton, OH
937-333-3653
[email protected]

Mayor Gary L. Comer
DeGraff, OH
937-585-6632
[email protected]

Mayor Terry Lindeman
Doylestown, OH
330-658-2181 x1101
[email protected]

Mayor Gary Norton (D)
East Cleveland, OH
216-681-2208
[email protected]

Mayor Ted Andrzejewski
Eastlake, OH
440-951-1416 x102
[email protected]

Mayor James P. Swoger
East Liverpool, OH
330-385-3381
[email protected]

Mayor Patricia Burnside
Englewood, OH
937-836-5106
[email protected]

Mayor Bill Cervenik
Euclid, OH
216-289-2751
[email protected]

Mayor Thomas H. Nagel
Fairborn, OH
937-754-3030
[email protected]

Mayor Charles H. Johnson
Forest Park, OH
513-595-5208
[email protected]

Mayor Gary Middlemus
Frazeysburg, OH
740-828-2901
[email protected]

Mayor Kirk Emmert
Gambier, OH
740-427-2671
[email protected]

Mayor Dave Nelson
Geneva-on-the-Lake, OH
440-466-8917
[email protected]

Mayor Mark Williams
Genoa, OH
419-855-7791
[email protected]

Mayor Alan Zaffiro (D)
Golf Manor, OH
513-531-7491
[email protected]

Mayor Ray E. DeGraw
Grandview Heights, OH
614-481-6214
[email protected]

Mayor Lance Westcamp
Groveport, OH
614-830-2042
[email protected]

Mayor Richard L. Verga
Harveysburg, OH
513-897-1938
[email protected]

Mayor Clifford L. Mason
Hebron, OH
740-928-2673
[email protected]

Mayor Lou Bertrand
Hiram, OH
330-569-7677
[email protected]

Mayor Susan J. Pelkowski
Holloway, OH
740-968-4516
[email protected]

Mayor William Currin
Hudson, OH
330-342-1700
[email protected]

Mayor Rich Blankenship
Ironton, OH
740-532-3833
[email protected]

Mayor Jerry Fiala
Kent, OH
330-678-8007
[email protected]

Mayor Deborah Neale
Lakeline, OH
440-946-6189
[email protected]

Mayor David J. Berger
Lima, OH
419-221-5202
[email protected]

Mayor Jo Ann Toczek
Linndale, OH
216-251-6000
[email protected]

Mayor Patricia A. Fallot
Louisville, OH
330-875-3321
[email protected]

Mayor Joseph Cicero Jr.
Lyndhurst, OH
440-442-5777
[email protected]

Mayor Donald Kuchta
Macedonia, OH
330-468-8322
[email protected]

Mayor Steve Adams
Malvern, OH
330-863-1316
[email protected]

Mayor Jeffrey A. Lansky
Maple Heights, OH
216-587-9011

Mayor Joe A. Matthews
Marietta, OH
740-373-1387
[email protected]

Mayor Bruce Rinker (D)
Mayfield Village, OH
440-461-2210
[email protected]

Mayor Robert Schwab
McComb, OH
419-293-3521

Mayor Glenn W. Holmes
McDonald, OH
330-530-5472
[email protected]

Mayor Richard Cain
Mineral City, OH
330-685-1716
[email protected]

Mayor James B. Waller
Minerva, OH
330-868-7705

Mayor Steven L. Yagelski
Montpelier, OH
419-708-9480
[email protected]

Mayor Susan Renda (D)
Moreland Hills, OH
440-248-1188
[email protected]

Mayor Charles Neff
Mount Sterling, OH
740-869-2040
[email protected]

Mayor Mike Porter
Mt. Gilead, OH
419-946-3926
[email protected]

Mayor Jeffrey C. Wherley
Nellie, OH
740-824-3378
[email protected]

Mayor James A. Friel
Newcomerstown, OH
740-498-6313
[email protected]

Mayor Daniel R. Brooks
North College Hill, OH
513-521-7413

Mayor Terrance J. McConnell
North Kingsville, OH
440-224-0091
[email protected]

Mayor Ed Klco
North Perry, OH
440-259-2713
[email protected]

Mayor Kathy Mulcahy (D)
Orange Village, OH
440-498-4400
[email protected]

Mayor Richard M. Bain
Pepper Pike, OH
216-310-0147
[email protected]

Mayor Billy R. Spencer
Piketon, OH
740-289-8154
[email protected]

Mayor Timothy Redden
Plymouth, OH
419-687-4331
[email protected]

Mayor Timothy Sicafuse
Poland, OH
330-757-2112
[email protected]

Mayor David A. Malone
Portsmouth, OH
740-354-8807
[email protected]

Mayor Daniel Ursu (D)
Richmond Heights, OH
(216) 486-2474

Mayor William Nibert
Richwood, OH
740-360-4843
[email protected]

Mayor Bill Flaute
Riverside, OH
937-233-1801
[email protected]

Mayor Earl M. Leiken (D)
Shaker Heights, OH
216-491-1410
[email protected]

Mayor Patrick C. Monahan
Shawnee Hills, OH
614-761-0154
[email protected]

Mayor John Smith (D)
Silverton, OH
513-936-6240
[email protected]

Mayor Georgine Welo (D)
South Euclid, OH
216-691-4221
[email protected]

Mayor Matthew Brett
South Russell, OH
440-338-6700
[email protected]

Mayor Warren Copeland
Springfield, OH
937-324-7341
[email protected]

Mayor William C. Burkhardt
St. Bernard, OH
513-242-7770
[email protected]

Mayor Domenick Mucci Jr.
Steubenville, OH
740-283-6000 x1100
[email protected]

Mayor Clayton Weller
Sugarcreek, OH
330-852-4112
[email protected]

Mayor Michael P. Bell
Toledo, OH
419-245-1001
[email protected]

Mayor Mary Myers
Verona, OH
937-884-5522
[email protected]

Mayor Daniel Wilczynski
Walbridge, OH
419-666-1830
[email protected]

Mayor Doug Franklin
Warren, OH
330-841-2601
[email protected]

Mayor Allen Patchin
West Farmington, OH
330-889-2699
[email protected]

Mayor Ann Schreiner
West Millgrove, OH
419-288-3333
[email protected]

Mayor Kim Maggard
Whitehall, OH
614-338-3106
[email protected]

Mayor William A. Margalis
Wickliffe, OH
440-943-7103
[email protected]

Mayor Richard J. Bonde
Willowick, OH
440-585-3700
[email protected]

Mayor Chuck Sammarone
Youngstown, OH
330-742-8701
[email protected]

Mayor Jeff Tilton
Zanesville, OH
740-455-0603
[email protected]