FRIDAY FLASHBACK!: And so it Begins.....Again

Buckeye Firearm Association's web site is seeing an amazing growth in visitors and new articles are being posted several times a week.

With everything that is going on, it is easy to miss some important and interesting articles. To make sure that you don't miss anything, we are going to repost one of our more popular articles every Friday.

This week's "Friday Flashback" is....

And so it Begins.....Again

By Gerard Valentino

Karen Smith is one of America's heroes for gun rights, and I bet nobody remembers her, or what she did. Gun owners and gun rights advocates aren't going to get off that easy. I'm not going to disclose her story in this article as a way of making each and every reader more cognizant of the information available through a little research on the Internet, or at the local library. In this case, simply watching the news and having a good memory will easily give it away.

Karen Smith's place in the lexicon of the gun rights world was thrust upon her, she had no choice in that matter. Yet, when it came down to making the right decision, at the right time, she proved what gun rights advocates have claimed for years -- that law abiding citizens will do the right thing.

Even though it was her first experience with a gun, Karen Smith is the reason groups like The National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms Associations exist. It is also the reason that politicians who defend the Second Amendment should be rewarded for showing how deeply they care about honoring freedom and the safety of all Americans. They do so despite the flak from false-dogooders willing to blame a gun for all of society's ill, and open hostility from the establishment media.

Click on 'Read More' for the entire commentary.

Conversely, liberal Republicans like Ohio Governor Bob Taft, who have done everything possible to keep viable gun laws from becoming a reality are a true threat to gun rights. He poisoned Ohio's original concealed carry bill with provisions specifically created to make law-abiding citizens into felons, and then vetoed the reform bill that would protect gun owners.

Other notable anti-gun Republicans, Senator John McCain and Rudolph Giuliani now are poised to stand in the way of freedom, and a fundamental tenet of the Bill of Rights, if they win the presidency in 2008. Based on their past history with gun legislation, if either had their way Karen Smith wouldn't be a hero, she would be a corpse. In Many states like Ohio, in 2006 gun owners had a lot to be thankful for -- Bob Taft's term as governor is finally ending, we elected a decidedly pro-gun governor and legislature, plus a bill ending anti-gun local ordinances became law when Bob Taft's ridiculous veto was overturned. That isn't true everywhere, however, citizens of San Francisco are still disarmed by draconian anti-gun laws, and citizens of Washington D.C., who are in desperate need of protection, are still not allowed to own handguns.

Of a more serious note to most Americans, Nancy Pelosi will become the next Speaker of the House. Her choice to consistently vote and support anti-gun legislation means the golden era for gun rights proponents may be over. Pelosi's record, no doubt, leaves the likes of Sarah Brady, and her one woman anti-gun organization, licking her chops. It is without a doubt the political break that Brady has been waiting for to re-energize the small minority of Americans that want to blame guns, instead of the shooter, for crimes committed with firearms. The days of enjoying the political tranquility on the gun issue are clearly over, and pro-gun activists better get that through their heads - in a hurry.

Ohio is a perfect example where a recent legislative victory could mean nothing if a Democrat majority in Congress decides to take another bite of the poisoned anti-gun apple. Another federal assault ban would undo the hard work of Senate President Bill Harris and Speaker of the Ohio House Jon Husted, among others too numerous to name, to override Taft's veto of statewide gun law preemption legislation. That one law, rendered invalid an assault weapon ban in Columbus, bans on inexpensive guns in Toledo, which deny poor Ohioans a means of self-defense, and magazine capacity limits in Cincinnati and by some count over 80 other local anti-gun laws.

If Sarah Brady and her new found champion Nancy Pelosi have their way, new federal laws will undo all the pro-gun victories over the last 10 years. Don't think for a moment the Democrats have lost their will to disarm Americans. They have, in fact, taken their victory in the 2006 mid-term as a mandate against many of the policies furthered by the Republican majority, and gun-control is on that list. However, if ever there was an argument against everything the anti-gun Democrats will try to do to take away our gun rights it is Karen Smith, and her heroism under duress. Whenever anyone asks why guns should be legal for law abiding citizens, just tell them to look up Karen's story.

Gerard Valentino is the Buckeye Firearms Association Central Ohio Chair.