Kasich and Romney school media: Gun bans don't work

by Chad D. Baus

Both Governor John Kasich and Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney are rejecting gun ban extremists' recent calls for new legislation in the wake of two multiple victim public shootings in "no-gun" zones.

Kasich is proving that his words spoken during the 2010 campaign, when he admitted he was "wrong" about his reasons for voting for the 1994 federal Clinton Gun Ban, weren't just election year rhetoric.

From The Toledo Blade, in an articled entitled "Gun-control issue flares anew":

After being asked by a reporter last week, Ohio Gov. John Kasich, a Republican, said the federal assault weapons ban "was of very little use" and doesn't think the nation needs a debate on gun control.

"Look, the problem that we have is, let's get to the basics of the violence," he said. "It's issues that surround some things like mental illness. We don't know the full story with this guy [Colorado suspect]."

Mr. Kasich added: "You can go out and try to put all the bans on you want. If people are intent on doing something, they're going to do it and it begins to erode the ability of law-abiding people to be able to be part of the Second Amendment, so I don't think that is where this discussion is right now...I don't think we're now in any sort of a gun-control phase on this."

These are welcome words indeed, and they mirror the position of Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

Romney, who once supported an anti-gun law in Massachusetts similar to the federal one, told reporters this week that gun control laws are not the answer to the recent string of mass shootings. Like Kasich, Romney has come to believe it's not about the weapons used in the attacks, but about the individuals who choose to commit violence against others.

Although they haven't always taken this position, thankfully, both Kasich and Romney are now demonstrating that they've come to understand trying to stop mass killings by enacting gun control is like trying to stop drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to buy cars.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.