Buckeye Firearms Association PAC endorsees have bellwether Election Day

Buckeye Firearms Association PAC endorsees were overwhelmingly successful on Election Day 2014.

Every BFA PAC statewide endorsee sailed to victory. Governor John Kasich (R), Secretary of State Jon Husted (R), Auditor of State Dave Yost (R), Treasurer of State Josh Mandel (R) and Attorney General Mike DeWine (R) all easily defeated their anti-gun rights opponents. Supreme Court Justices Sharon Kennedy and Judi French were also victorious.

BFA PAC endorsees will also pack the Statehouse for the next General Assembly. Endorsees won 11 of 12 races (91.6%) in the Ohio Senate, and 64 of 74 races (86.5%) in the Ohio House.

Pro-gun rights candidates were also victorious in many national races for U.S. House and Senate, as voters sought to repudiate President Obama on his agenda, including efforts to pass a universal background check gun registration scheme, a ban on modern sporting rifles and standard capacity magazines, as well as the infamous Fast & Furious gun-running operation and Operation Chokepoint, which sought to force firearms businesses out of the financial service space and therefore, out of business.

Now the work begins. In Guns & Ammo's ranking of "Best States for Concealed Carry," Ohio ranks 41st, and falls far behind all of its border states. Michigan, which passed concealed carry one year before Ohio, ranks 31st. West Virgina ranks 32nd, Pennsylvania is 15th, Indiana comes in 14th and Kentucky is ranked 11th.

If they have any hope of bringing the Buckeye State into the 21st century when it comes to gun rights, Ohio's pro-gun rights legislators have their work cut out for them. No pro-gun legislation has been sent to the governor's desk since December 2012. While the Ohio House passed House Bill 203, an important concealed carry reform bill last year, the Ohio Senate has failed to act.

If legislators do not act, HB 203 and many other pro-gun bills that are pending will die at the end of December.

If you want to see the General Assembly act to improve gun rights in ways that are already enjoyed by the majority of other states, call your Representative and Senator NOW and tell them you expect pro-gun legislation to move in Ohio BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR. They asked for your vote on Tuesday. Tell them we want their votes too.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.