Buckeye Firearms Assoc. PAC announces Primary Election Grades/Endorsements

The Buckeye Firearms Association Political Action Committee (BFA_PAC) has issued primary endorsements for the May 8, 2018 Democratic and Republican primaries. Those endorsements can be found on our Voter Guide page.

Early voting is already under way.

This has been a particularly difficult year for endorsements. The committee was divided about endorsing any incumbent House candidate because of the cycle of endorsing candidates with the promise of a great bill in lame duck (after the election), broken promises, the promise to address issues “quickly next session,” and more broken promises. While no one gets everything they want, law-abiding gun owners have gotten the short end of the stick multiple sessions in a row.

In the last session, the Ohio House removed all teeth from a provision protecting employees from employers who fire them for having firearms in their personal vehicles. Rather than allowing license holders to conceal firearms in most government buildings (where open carry is legal) they chose a path that has led to a patchwork of local rules and, in joint-use buildings, confusion over what is legal vs illegal. Innocent mistakes should not have felony penalties which can ruin many people’s careers/lives.

The only way to improve our laws is to improve our legislature. That starts with primary elections. If we don’t elect good candidates in the primary, there will not be good candidates to vote for in November.

Our endorsements do not come with big checks. To make them effective we need you, the grassroots, to get involved. Voting for our endorsed candidates is great, but they need more. Please consider donating to or volunteering for an endorsed candidate.

Working on campaigns helps in many ways. It helps your candidate win. It helps establish a relationship between you and your elected officials. It fosters a relationship where you can be a resource on issues where you have more expertise than the candidate. And it fosters friendships. Some of my best friends are people I met volunteering on campaigns.

All politics is local, and all politicians are different. It does not take much to stand out on a campaign. Just work a few hours a couple days between now and election day. Phone calls, stuffing envelopes, putting up yard signs, walking door to door, helping on election day. There are may ways to help; find the way that is right for you.

Marches may get media attention, but they do not generate votes. If our youth really want to have an impact, working on campaigns is a proven way to get involved and get results.

Thanks for helping all our endorsed candidates achieve victory on May 8.

Jim Irvine is Chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association Political Action Committee (BFA-PAC). He is also recipient of the NRA-ILA's 2011 "Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award," the CCRKBA's 2012 "Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award," and the SAF's 2015 "Defender of Freedom Award."