Buckeye Firearms Association submits campaign finance report; Supporters help keep all-volunteer PAC in strong financial shape

By Jim Irvine

Buckeye Firearms Association has filed its campaign finance report covering the period from the post-election report in 2010 through June 30, 2011. We are again pleased and grateful to the many people who donate to our organization in support of the Second Amendment.

During the period, we had almost 600 donations totaling nearly $21,000. Donations ranged $5 to $750. We are particularly grateful to our Defenders, whose automatic monthly donations allow us to plan on a dependable income.

Buckeye is run by volunteers who give considerable time toward our cause. But we simply could not execute ideas without the funding of our supporters. Some people can contribute time. Some people can contribute money. Together we form a team that is a political force.

Our big fundraiser for the first part of the years was the Buckeye Blast held at Tactical Defense Institute. It was a great event that brought in over $7,000 to our PAC. Thanks to Randy Bueche and his friends from the Isaac Walton Club in Oxford, John Benner and the whole crew at TDI, and of course those who came out to have some fun and learn how much more there is to shooting than what a typical range offers.

As usual, we took in donations from many people of diverse financial means.

• 306 donations of $10 or less totaling $2,087
• 121 donations of $10-25 totaling $2,832
• 90 donations of $25-100 totaling $5,842
• 13 donations of over $100 totaling $2,610

We thank all those who donated or participated in Buckeye events this year.

We respect your money and work hard to spend it wisely.

We spent over $15,000 including: (numbers are rounded off)

• $3,600 advertising/marketing
• $2,250 postage & mailing
• $1,200 wallet/business cards
• $1,150 political donations
• $1,030 PayPal, credit card, and banking fees
• $1,000 USSA banquet
• $950 purchase of video camera and accessories
• $900 web hosting and domain names
• $900 for TDI event catering and supplies
• $510 transcribe testimony of legislators floor speeches
• $340 Fuel and parking for volunteers
• $480 travel expenses for witness to attend bill signings
• $500 for food and beverage at various events for working volunteers
• $500 for table space at various shows

Some expenses were one-time items such as a video camera that can be used to capture future events, some were periodic expenses such as web hosting and domain expenses, and some are incurred monthly, such as our popular wallet cards, postage, and banking fees. Other expenses were related to events such as TDI or tables and supplies at gun shows.

Political donations were noticeably light during the period, which is normal for this point in the election cycle. These donations will start to pick up heading into next year's primary season.

Notable this report are the expenses for fuel and parking. This is a new expense because we decided it was not fair to ask people who drive hundreds of miles and spend considerable money parking to attend hearings and legislative meetings to continue paying these expenses personally. This by no means covers all volunteer expenses, but greatly lessens the burden for those who are regularly at the Statehouse.

We finished the reporting period with almost $34,000 on hand. While that is a good "war chest" for our group in this time frame, do keep in mind that our primary opponent in the Buckeye State, the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, has received almost three-quarters of a million dollars in grants from the anti-Gun Joyce Foundation in the past several years. The coming election cycle is projected to be the most costly in history, and we must be prepared.

Politicians respect Buckeye Firearms because for many reasons. We are an asset to anyone wanting to understand various firearms issues. We can donate money to a campaign. With your support we can generate phone calls in support or opposition of specific bills. But most importantly we are connected to a large base that follows our issue in a way most issue organizations only dream about.

We have had a good year so far. We are in strong financial shape and two important bills have been signed into law. We obviously have lots more work ahead of us, but with your continued support, we know we can conquer any obstacle.

Thank you to all who trust and support Buckeye Firearms Association. We are honored and motivated by your continued loyalty and conviction.

Donate now to Buckeye Firearms Association.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman.