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

by Sean Maloney, Esq.

Some time ago I was approached concerning a fundraiser for my friend, and my Ohio State Representative, Margy Conditt. I came up with an idea that I thought would be a great one. Have a fundraiser where all those who attended would have the opportunity to exercise our God-given rights, as protected by our Founding Fathers by the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. A Shooting Sports Fundraiser!

This would give those who maybe never have had the opportunity to shoot, the opportunity to enjoy the shooting sports for the first time; this would give those of us who never get enough range time, range time; this would allow all of us the opportunity to raise money, for a staunch defender of freedom, and have a great time doing it!

Now my idea of supporting a sport enjoyed at the Olympic, college, and high school level, inviting people to share in a past time enjoyed by millions upon millions of Americans, and supporting the Constitution of the United States by encouraging people to participate in a legal activity and bring their guns to a shooting range, is being called "distasteful and irresponsible in the wake of a school shooting that killed three Ohio students."

Who would say such a thing? "The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence" and Democrat Reps. Ted Celeste and Tracy Heard, that's who.

From the Associated Press:

Gun control advocates are criticizing an upcoming fundraiser for a state representative from southwestern Ohio that encourages people to bring their own guns and shoot them at a firing range.

The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, several Democrats and others urged Republican Rep. Margaret Conditt of Liberty Township on Tuesday to cancel her May 12 fundraiser at the Middletown Sportsmens Club. They called the event distasteful and irresponsible in the wake of a school shooting that killed three Ohio students.

Conditt's campaign treasurer says there are no plans to cancel the event, which he says are consistent with the lawmaker's support for gun rights.

Dave Bruno says machine guns aren't allowed at the fundraiser, which will feature skeet shooting.

Hundreds of thousands of people before and after the tragedy in Cleveland have enjoyed the shooting sports. Countless numbers of Ohioans enjoy the shooting sports. Yet now, now because Margy Conditt plans a fundraiser, much less boring than most, it is distasteful to these Democrats? (To be clear, I know many Democrats, and I am served by many Democrats in government who would never stoop this low.)

More details are provided by the Dix Capital Bureau:

"We're here today to stand our ground against the litany of overreaching gun legislation pending in the general assembly and to bring attention to the proverbial straw that broke the camel's back," said Rep. Ted Celeste, a Democrat from Columbus, referring to an invitation for a "machine gun social" from a Republican lawmaker from southwestern Ohio.

The event is titled, "Aiming for Liberty" and is taking place at a sportsmen's club, with attendees encouraged to bring their own guns, a setup Celeste said was "not only absurd, but it's highly inappropriate."

But Republicans quickly countered that Democrats' comments Tuesday amounted to scare tactics.

"This press conference was nothing more than a political stunt that made an outrageous link between horrific tragedies and lawful gun ownership," Rep. Matt Huffman, a Republican from Lima and chairman of the House's GOP organizational committee, said in a released statement. He added, "Law-abiding citizens who exercise their constitutional rights in a safe and legal manner should not be compared to criminals and others who commit violent acts with firearms."

Democrats' comments came during a press conference near the Statehouse designed to draw attention to two gun-related bills that have passed this session and a half a dozen others pending in the committee process.

The former includes a bill allowing concealed carry permit holders to possess hidden handguns in bars and restaurants. The latter includes one bill that would allow concealed carry in churches and day-care centers.

Opponents want lawmakers to move in an opposite direction -- for starters, closing a loophole that allows the purchase of firearms at gun shows and requiring criminal background checks before sales at such events.

"On the one hand you have those that are pushing guns that are arguing for access to everybody," said Brian Rothenberg, executive director of Progress Ohio, a liberal advocacy group. "On the other hand, they say that they only want responsible people to have the guns, but when you try to talk to them about enforcing and closing the gun show loophole, which allows somebody to go to a gun show and purchase a gun illegally, they don't want to move that bill. ... They seem to be talking out of both sides of their mouth."

Democrats cited the Geauga County school shooting earlier this year that left three students dead and the widely reported death of Florida teen Trayvon Martin as evidence of the need for tougher gun control laws.

"These acts of violence are serious problems begging to be addressed," Celeste said.

But Huffman said such references were inappropriate.

"The fact that the Democrats even mentioned the death of Trayvon Martin and the school shooting in Chardon, Ohio, shows that they will go to any length to further their own anti-gun agenda," he said. "This is both disgusting and insulting to gun owners, the Martin family and the families of the victims in Chardon. Enlisting fear mongering to further a political agenda is no way to govern."

Rep. Huffman is absolutely right. Law abiding citizens participating in a lawful activity have absolutely nothing to do with actions of a mentally deranged teenager who killed helpless victims in a gun free zone. This is typical anti-gun rhetoric, seeking to prey upon the heartache and tragedy of helpless victims to try and create an issue that does not exist.

Let's show the The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, and select Democrats what it means to be patriotic Americans.

Come one come all to the Middletown Sportsman's Club on Saturday, May 12, 2012. 9:00am to 1:00pm rain or shine!

To RSVP or to donate to the campaign, email Treasurer Dave Bruno at [email protected].

Sean Maloney is a Buckeye Firearms Association Minuteman, a Second Amendment Rights attorney in West Chester, OH, an NRA Benefactor Lifetime Member, NRA Election Volunteer Coordinator for Ohio's 8th Congressional District, an active NRA Instructor and received the NRA's 2011 "Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award". Sean Maloney is also running for the National Rifle Association's Board of Directors in 2013.

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