Buckeyefirearms.org: Top 10 News Items of 2016

In 2016 we published, on average, two articles per week day. Over the years, we have published approximately 12,000 articles, covering elections, legislation, and all manner of events and information of interest to Second Amendment supporters.

Over 1.3 million different people visited our website last year, creating over 3.1 million pageviews. Ours is an international audience, with visitors from 207 countries. 16% of visitors to our website are women. We have visitors of all ages, but most are aged 25 to 64. Nearly two-thirds of our visitors access our website on a mobile device or tablet.

We received the most visitors from the following ten cities, in order from 1 to 10: Columbus, Cincinnati, Detroit, Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Houston, Philadelphia, Dallas and Akron.

As content editor for BuckeyeFirearms.org, I always find it interesting to look back over the year to see which articles captured the most interest. Here are the Top 10 news items on our site from 2016.

1. FLASH: Ohio Concealed Handgun License Approved as Background Check
2. Armed Teachers Now Trained in 63 Ohio Counties
3. Ohio Sen. Sherrod Brown joins Democrats seeking to suspend constitutional right on the basis of suspicion alone
4. News station puts "active killer vs. good guy with a gun" theory to the test
5. No Charges Filed, But Legal Firearms Confiscated Anyway
6. Gov. Kasich signs SB 199 into law
7. Ohio college professor calls for armed attack on NRA headquarters, now under investigation
8. Pro-gun rights legislation passes in Ohio General Assembly, on way to Governor's desk
9. Active killer murders four in Canada town, high school; President Obama silent
10. Early thoughts on the Orlando night club shooting

Progress on and passage of pro-gun rights legislation is always a popular topic, and this year was no different. Even though passage of Senate Bill 199 passed just weeks ago, news on the progress and explanations about improvements took two of the top ten spots. The year's most-read story was actually a result of legislation passed in late 2014, with improvements passed in HB 234 ultimately resulting in the Bureau of Alcohol Tobacco Firearms and Explosives (BATFE) certifying the Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL) as a valid NICS-compliant background check for firearm purchases.

The second most-read news article covered news that Buckeye Firearms Foundation's nonprofit program FASTER ( Faculty / Administrator Safety Training & Emergency Response) had, to date, provide high-level training to more than 400 teachers and administrators from 152 school districts in 63 of Ohio's 88 counties over the last three years. Various other articles on the FASTER program made national and even international news throughout the year.

Articles about gun ban extremists' attempts to rob Americans of their right to bear arms were also of top interest to our readers. Democrats' attempts to violate persons' Second and Fifth Amendment rights took the #3 spot, New York officials' confiscation of legal firearms without charges filed took #5, an Ohio college professor's call for an armed attack on the NRA HQ took #7.

Buckeye Firearms Association's early response to the terrorist attack at an Orlando nightclub rounded out the Top 10 BFA news articles for 2016.

Other BuckeyeFirearms.org news articles which resulted in national news, but not our Top 10, included articles about the record pace for Ohio concealed handgun license applications in 2016, a free firearms training class Buckeye Firearms Association offered to members of the LGBT community,

Buckeye Firearms Association spokespersons appeared on national news outlets including CNN, The (UK) Daily Mail, TIME Magazine and Breitbart News. They were also interviewed by international news agencies from Japan and France.

Our efforts made news with national Second Amendment-related media included NRANews.com, AmericanRifleman.org, AmmoLand.com, Guns.com, GunTalk.com, Shooting Illustrated and The Outdoor Wire.

News of our progress even got coverage on anti-gun sites such as MediaMatters.org and TheTrace.com.

What articles and topics will claim the top ten spots in 2017? What articles will make national (or international) news? Only time will tell!

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.