Buckeye Firearms Association Responds to Attack on Representative Conditt's "Shooting" Fundraiser

Several Democrats have joined with a gun control group to publicly attack State Representative Margy Conditt (Liberty Township, District 55) because of a fundraising event she has scheduled for May 12 at the Middletown Sportsmens Club where participants will have the opportunity to shoot GUNS.

The group linked her fundraiser to a recent Ohio shooting where three students died and called her fundraiser "absurd" and "highly inappropriate."

In response to these attacks, Buckeye Firearms Association today announced the fundraiser to their hundreds of thousands of supporters in Ohio and are pledging to match any donations made to this event, up to a total of $1,000.00.

"This attack on State Representative Conditt is ridiculous," said Jim Irvine, Chairman of Buckeye Firearms Association. "We realize that a handful of politicians don't like guns. But to link this innocent fundraiser to a tragic mass murder is shameful. And Representative Conditt deserves an apology."

Sean Maloney, a West Chester lawyer and one of the organizers of the event, expressed his shock at the attack. "I'm simply stunned," said Maloney. "Most fundraisers are a little boring. The idea of this event was simply to let people have some fun. Millions of people all over the country enjoy shooting. It's one of the most popular activities in the U.S. To compare people who shoot targets or skeet or who want to enjoy a few hours of good, clean fun to a school shooting is unacceptable."

According to 2010 statistics compiled by The National Sporting Goods Association, recreational shooting is one of the most popular pastimes in America. More people participate in target shooting than in soccer, baseball, tennis, skateboarding, and many other common activities.

Ohio is also home to the "world series" of shooting sports, the National Matches at Camp Perry, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie near Port Clinton.

"The Second Amendment guarantees our right to own firearms," said Linda Walker, Buckeye Firearms Regional Leader and NRA Board Member. "There's nothing wrong with people owning guns or going to a range to shoot at targets. I've heard some outlandish things over the years said about gun owners, but what these politicians are doing is basically comparing gun owners to murderers. It's simply unbelievable."

Jim Irvine explained what he thinks is going on. "I think these anti-gun activists have watched the TV coverage of the Trayvon Martin case and have jumped to the conclusion that America is suddenly turning against the Second Amendment. But that's simply not true. As tragic as that shooting was, and as much as we are saddened any time there's a tragedy like what happened recently in the Ohio school shooting, the vast majority of gun owners are law-abiding. Most shootings are by deranged people and criminals, not by ordinary folks who simply want to shoot at targets or support a local candidate running for office."

The fundraiser for Representative Conditt is scheduled for May 12, 2012 from 9am to 1pm at the Middletown Sportsman's Club. Rather than stop the fundraiser, the controversy has caused the event to go viral. It is expected that the event will be full and attract donations from across the state.

Related Article: Democrats attack State Rep. Margaret Conditt for supporting our Constitutional right to bear arms