OGCA makes significant donation to Buckeye Firearms Foundation teacher training
by Larry S. Moore
Robert Ray Preston, OGCA First Vice President; Joe Eaton, BFA;
Fred L. Kolb, OGCA BoD; and Charles D. Rush, OGCA Second
Vice President
The momentum behind the Buckeye Firearms Foundation's efforts to train our teachers to respond to school violence continues to grow. The program received a major boost when the Ohio Gun Collectors Association (OGCA) Board of Directors stepped up with a very significant contribution to the effort. But the organization wasn't done yet. The OGCA Civil Rights Defense Fund, which is a separate 501(c)3 entity, Board of Directors also approved another contribution to the Armed Teacher Training Program. The OGCA Civil Rights Defense Fund was established in 1995 to fill a niche within Ohio for the education and defense of firearms rights.
Buckeye Firearms Association leaders Larry Moore and Joe Eaton attended the recent OGCA meeting and show to receive the checks. Meeting with the various OGCA Board Members was an absolutely wonderful conversation about the importance of taking bold steps in these times to protect our children. We know that no gun signs and other current methods are not working to protect our most precious ones. While law makers threaten to reduce our rights to the whims of favors from politicians and the President calls for action while emotions are high, the OGCA Directors applauded and encouraged the steps Buckeye Firearms Foundation is taking to address the real world problems we face. The OGCA expressed how thankful they are for the training and what the Foundation is doing.
Everyone at Buckeye Firearms Foundation and Buckeye Firearms Association are very grateful, excited and humbled by the donation from the OGCA. It is exciting to note that so many are overwhelmingly supportive of the efforts to train teachers to respond to active shooter threats. When this support is coupled with the over 1400 school personnel statewide who have responded to be part of the program, we know that we have hit on the right track. Of course we knew a nerve was hit on that fateful night when Buckeye Firearms Association legal chair Ken Hanson made the announcement in Columbus during a Town Hall meeting and anti-gun activist Toby Hoover gasped for air!
From left to right: Larry Moore, BFA; Joe Eaton, BFA;
OGCA Civil Rights Defense Fund BoD Ron Clark;
Charles D. Metcalf; and Frank Kern.
We've heard from teachers, administrators and other school employees, about how valuable the recent session with Col. Grossman was to their efforts. We heard it again at the OGCA show as teachers came forward to talk about what they've learned and why they want to be part of the program. Far too often we also hear about the roadblocks their school administrators are placing in the path of real progress. It only tells us there is a lot more work to be done. This effort is only beginning.
BFA Region Leader Joe Eaton summed up the challenge saying, "The media has been asking where I see the teacher training program in the next year. I tell them simply that Congress and the media will all have moved on to the next big story, but they can be certain that Buckeye Firearms Foundation will still be training teachers and making our kids safer long after they have stopped calling us for comments."
Jim Irvine, Buckeye Firearms Foundation President, adds, "OGCA was the first to step up to the plate with a sizable donation. While others were complaining about a problem, OGCA was writing checks to pay for real solutions. Their early involvement insured the first armed teacher class would not be the last. Their commitment to keeping our schools and children safe should serve as an inspiration to other groups and companies who care about the safety of our kids. Because of their leadership, work is already underway for more classes."
Outdoor writer and hunter education instructor Larry S. Moore is a long-time volunteer leader for Buckeye Firearms Foundation and winner of the 2005 USSA Patriot Award, the 2007 League of Ohio Sportsmen/Ohio Wildlife Federation Hunter Educator of the Year and the 2010 National Wild Turkey Federation/ Women in the Outdoors Hunter Education Instructor of the Year.
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