Ohio Supreme Court Races: The Fate of Ohio Gun Rights Hangs in the Balance

by Chad D. Baus

7:00am Thursday, October 22, 2020

There is urgent news about the upcoming election.

Ohio Supreme Court Justices Sharon Kennedy and Judi French are up for re-election, and Supreme Court races are at the top of gun ban extremists' wish list.

Candidates for Ohio Supreme Court Justices are elected to six year terms. So if an anti-gun candidate wins next month, they will be ruling on Second Amendment-related cases for at least six years. That is more than enough time to issue quite a few damaging rulings. These are critical races for all Second Amendment supporters in the Buckeye State.

As soon as the election is over, Buckeye Firearms Association will be continuing our efforts to see that the 133rd General Assembly pass improvements to Ohio law before the end of the session on December 31. There are many pending bills, all of which will die if not acted upon by the legislature.

In addition, there are ongoing court battles due to local governments' ongoing attempts to subvert Ohio's statewide preemption law.

There are several common themes in these stories, but the most important one for gun owners right now is the court battles that are sure to follow. Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been losing at the ballot box, but his billions are proving quite useful for filing lawsuits, even right here in Ohio.

YOU have the power to protect the Second Amendment on November 3!

As we've noted previously, Sharon Kennedy and Judi French do not have great name recognition. They interpret the law instead of "making law from the bench" and most people just don't follow court rulings, let alone the justices who issued them. And because Ohio's Supreme Court races are non-partisan, voters won't have the help of a party designation to clue them in to the candidates' judicial philosophies. So IT IS UP TO YOU to help your friends and family, neighbors and co-workers understand the importance of voting for Kennedy and French.

Everyone has stood in the voting booth, looking at two judicial candidates on a ballot, trying to decide which person to vote for. Most people in that situation would love to have something - anything - to help them cast an intelligent vote. Help them. Don't be shy about telling people you are voting for Kennedy and French! They will probably thank you for giving them something upon which to base their vote.

Indeed, political strategist Karl Rove recently observed, “well-funded left-wing interest groups from outside Ohio” are vying to unseat Kennedy and French in order to redraw the lines of state legislative and congressional districts to benefit anti-gun candidates.

The opponents have significant financial resources to get their name out there. What do we have? We have YOU.

Make no mistake ... decades of hard work making Ohio a better place to live and a more Second Amendment-friendly state can be wiped out with one bad court ruling. Don't let that happen.

Support Justices Sharon Kennedy and Judi French for Ohio Supreme Court Justice.

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.