Editorials opposing restaurant carry expose coordinated anti-gun bias

by Gerard Valentino

By running nearly identical anti-gun editorials on the same day, The Columbus Dispatch and The Toledo Blade have finally given up their longtime charade that coverage of the gun issue is unbiased and independent. The Dayton Daily News joined the party about a week later by running an equally one-sided editorial that relied on similar mistruths, misquotes and outright fabrications to make the case against allowing legal concealed carry in establishments that serve alcohol for consumption.

They also took an unenlightened stance on proposed changes to Ohio law that will allow people with misdemeanor drug convictions to own guns and then twisted the truth to fit their position.

From The Columbus Dispatch editorial, entitled "Shoot Them Down":

If state Rep. Danny R. Bubp, R-West Union, gets his way, convicted drug dealers would be able to pack heat.
Senate Bill 247 would allow those convicted of drug misdemeanors - including attempting to traffic cocaine and crack, selling marijuana and selling drug paraphernalia to children - to buy and carry firearms in Ohio.

From The Toledo Blade editorial, entitled "Shoot 'Em Down":

The measures would enable holders of concealed-carry permits to bring guns into bars, restaurants, and open-air arenas that serve alcohol, would ease restrictions on how gun owners store their weapons in cars and trucks, and would make it easier for Ohioans with minor criminal convictions to get carry permits.

From The Dayton Daily News editorial, entitled "Do you need right to pack heat in bars?":

Rep. Bubp was quoted last summer as saying, "If someone goes into a restaurant and gets hurt because they can't defend themselves, I'm going to be the first to say we should have done this."

He was not quoted as to what he would say if somebody goes into a restaurant with a gun and an innocent person gets hurt.

The editorials in question also used inflammatory and prejudicial terms to make the case opposing SB239 and SB247 – the proposed legislation in question. Throwing around terms like packing heat, crack, cocaine and implying people convicted of trafficking drugs to children can get a license to carry a gun if the bills become law are the type of tricks more commonly used by marketing specialists or political spin artists – not editorial boards that claim to uphold the highest journalistic standards.

All three editorials are also full of the so-called common-sense arguments used to prove that permissive gun laws are a recipe for disaster. All the arguments are based on the underlying premise that more guns equals more gun deaths, that guns and alcohol don't mix and that convicted criminals should give up all rights to gun ownership.

As we know, the argument that more guns equals more gun deaths was proven wrong years ago. Sadly, the establishment media clings to the failed premise like a baby clinging to a security blanket.

The three editorials also conveniently ignore that Kentucky, Texas, Indiana and countless other states allow concealed carry permit holders to carry in establishments that serve alcohol for consumption without a threat to public safety. Another fact that is sure to make the establishment media crazy is that many states allow permit holders to drink while carrying based on the same set of rules that govern drinking and driving.

A similar argument holds true in regard to letting Ohioans with a misdemeanor drug conviction keep their right to bear arms. The truth is other states follow such a policy without serious problems and so can Ohio.

So, once again the basis for the establishment media's opposition to pro-gun reform fails to rise above the argument that they are afraid of guns so we should be too.

Years of using innuendo, conjecture and outright fabrications as evidence against permissive guns laws have backed the establishment media into a corner. At this stage in the debate they simply can't admit that concealed carry is a success, or that letting civilians carry guns hasn't been a disaster as they predicted.

Instead of acknowledging their mistake, they act like the argument against pro-gun reform is so obvious that discussing the issue objectively is beneath them and any fact in support of the pro-gun argument is clearly faulty. The mere suggestion that pro-gun reformers might be correct stands as an insult to the establishment media’s self-proclaimed status as the protectors of society.

What is truly insulting, however, is their arrogance and unwillingness to allow a legitimate debate.

Gerard Valentino is a member of the Buckeye Firearms Foundation Board of Directors and the author of "The Valentino Chronicles – Observations of a Middle Class Conservative," available through the Buckeye Firearms Association store.