Governor's Race: DeWine signs 9 pro-gun bills while Whaley vows to gut gun rights

Choosing between two candidates can often be a difficult task. You see the TV ads and hear the campaign promises, but you may not have a good sense for what a politician will actually do after elected.

Fortunately, in Ohio's 2022 gubernatorial race between Mike DeWine and Nan Whaley, that isn't a problem for gun owners.

Here's the summary: Gov. DeWine's record is not spotless, but he has signed significant pro-gun legislation during his first four years in office, while challenger Nan Whaley, currently Mayor of Dayton, is clearly anti-gun and has promised repeatedly to gut your gun rights.

First, let's examine Mike DeWine's record as Governor.

It's true that DeWine responded to the 2019 mass murder in Dayton with a package of "Strong Ohio" proposals that included elements we opposed. It's also true that he has signed no fewer than 9 BFA-supported bills that have dramatically benefited gun owners.

This includes 6 gun bills, 2 knife bills, and 1 big bill for sportsmen.

The gun bills include the HB 86 Shockwave legislative fix in 2019, HB 614 to extend concealed handgun license expiration dates during the pandemic in 2020, SB 175 to repeal the duty to retreat in 2021, and SB 215 to enact permitless carry along with HB 99 to allow for the arming of teachers and school employees, both in 2022.

The knife bills, which, by the way, are related to the Second Amendment since knives are also "arms," include SB 140 to repeal the ban on concealed knives in 2021 and SB 156 to add knives to Ohio's preemption law protection in 2022.

The big sportsman bill was HB 110, signed in 2021, to appropriate $87 million to purchase 60,000 acres of public hunting and fishing land as well as dramatically upgrade several public shooting ranges, such as Delaware and Spring Valley.

I cannot stress how important DeWine's signature was on the permitless carry and duty to retreat legislation. These bills alone have elevated Ohio from an average state to a state that is among the best in the nation for gun rights.

Our Endorsement Committee has given DeWine a "B" grade for the 2022 general election. With the impressive number of pro-gun bills signed, he could have easily earned a solid "A," but the unfortunate Strong Ohio proposal pulled the grade down a letter.

Now let's take a look at Nan Whaley.

A major part of Whaley's campaign message has been that DeWine has signed too many pro Second Amendment bills. And she has repeatedly promised to:

Repeal permitless carry, which she calls "dangerous" and claims leads to more violence. Studies have shown there's nothing dangerous about allowing people to carry without a license. After all, some form of permitless carry is the law in 25 states and not one has made any attempt to reverse it.

Enact so-called "universal background checks," which is code for preventing private gun sales, such as you selling a shotgun to an old friend or a father giving his son his first .22. Criminals, who commit the vast majority of violent crime, almost never submit to background checks, getting their weapons illegally, so it's unclear what this onerous law would accomplish.

Pass a "red flag" law, which doesn't stand up to constitutional muster. Such laws enable a judge or law enforcement to seize a person's firearms without due process, based on little more than an accusation. Yes, it's remotely possible taking someone's guns might prevent a crime, but that's not how American law is supposed to work. We're innocent until "proven" guilty, have the right to legal representation, and can confront our accusers in court before being punished or having rights taken away.

Roll back stand your ground, or more accurately, bring back the absurd legal requirement that you must consider avenues of retreat before using lethal force at a moment when you honestly believe your life is in immediate peril. Despite the confrontational-sounding name of "stand your ground," all such laws do is enable you to legally defend yourself outside your home just as you would inside your home. And this is the law in 38 states.

Overturn recent legislation allowing authorized teachers and staff to be armed in schools without submitting to 700+ hours of mostly irrelevant police training, saying it makes our communities "less safe" and calling HB 99 a "ridiculous law." I guess she's unaware that prior to a bad Ohio Supreme Court decision that made the legislation necessary, many Ohio school personnel had been armed for more than a decade without incident.

And while I don't recall her specifically talking about Ohio's "preemption" law, which prohibits cities and other political subdivisions from enacting their own gun regulations beyond state law, I'm sure she would support eliminating this legal protection as well. Many Democrats support this and bills have been introduced in recent legislative sessions to take us back to the bad old days of Ohio being a patchwork of conflicting and confusing local laws.

We can also infer just how extreme her approach to gun law would be as governor when we consider that she works side-by-side with gun control groups such Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action. Whaley is also endorsed by Everytown for Gun Safety Action Fund and Brady PAC. She was even recognized as the 2021 Local Gun Sense Lawmaker of the Year by Everytown.

Her attitude about law-abiding gun owners is clear, calling gun rights groups like Buckeye Firearms Association, and by extension all our members and supporters, "extremists." That's the sort of condescending, elitist attitude that truly makes Nan Whaley our worst nightmare as a potential Governor.

Keep in mind that Dayton, where Whaley has served as Mayor since 2014, is "among the U.S. cities with the highest homicide rates. There were a total of 46 murders reported in the city in 2020, or 32.8 for every 100,000 people — well above the national homicide rate of 6.5 murders per 100,000."

So Whaley oversees one of the most dangerous cities in America, yet wants to deprive citizens of the right to defend themselves. That pretty much says it all.

Our Endorsement Committee has given Whaley an "F" for the 2022 general election. It's important to point out that most candidates who vote against the bills we support get a "D" grade. To achieve the rare dishonor of an "F," a candidate has to go above and beyond, working against the Second Amendment.

That's exactly what Nan Whaley has done as Mayor and as a gubernatorial candidate. She's among the worst of the worst on gun rights.

CLICK HERE to see our grades and endorsements for the Nov. 8, 2022, General Election.

Dean Rieck is Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association, a former competitive shooter, NRA Patron Member, #1 NRA Recruiter for 2013, business owner and partner with Second Call Defense. He is also the host of the Keep and Bear Radio podcast.