Pro-Gun Punditry: Wednesday's Buckeye State Roundabout

By Chris Chumita

There are more stories pertaining to our gun rights in Ohio then we can possibly draw attention to with individual daily commentary. But they are worthy of mention.

What follows is our review of headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.
From an anti-gun police chief to another fluff piece on the anti-gun AHSA, these articles should be a part of your required reading!
Click on the "Read More..." link below for several days of headlines accompanied by short, concise pro-gun analysis.

12/3/06: Kent, Ohio: Kent Police Wary Of Gun Law Proposal

From the article:

If Gov. Bob Taft does not veto last week's revision of Ohio's concealed-carry gun law, Kent police officers might begin approaching traffic stops warily.

Do you mean to tell me that the police officers in Kent do not approach EVERY car that they stop "warily" or with caution? As a police officer myself, I find that down right scary.

Also from the article:

Kent Police Capt. Jim Goodlet said Ohio's gun laws were soft enough without the revisions approved this week by state legislators. The changes to the law eliminate the requirement that drivers keep guns in plain sight. "I don't think transportation of them should be any easier," Goodlet said. "The state law should not do away with local laws."

Somebody should tell Chief Goodlet that Ohio's law is actually when of the most strict when it is compared to other "shall-issue" states. We are the only one that requires the gun to be in plain sight while in a motor vehicle. Ohio's law also requires that a CHL holder inform the police officer if they are carrying a gun, which is not the case in some of the other states.

I wonder if Chief Goodlet complies with the plain sight requirement when he is off duty. Currently, off duty ploice officers must comply to the state restrictions of CHL holders. It should be noted that HB 347 grants off duty police officers what is called "24/7" carry.

12/4/06: Cincinnati, Ohio: Gun Lobby Has Misinformed Public

From the article:

The Second Amendment gives states the right to maintain militias - today's National Guard. It doesn't give individuals the right to own guns.

Pennington works for the Brady Campaign, and he is the one who is misinformed. He trys to regurgitate the old arguement that the Second Amendment is NOT an individual right, and that it only refers to the national guard. Those arguements have been proven to be false time and time again.

12/4/06: Cincinnati, Ohio:
Homicides Already Equal '05s

From the article:

With two shooting deaths Sunday, the city has tied last year's number with 79 homicides, the highest in more three decades.

The anti-gunners will always try to say that high homicide stats proves that we need more gun control. However, it shows the need to allow law-abiding citizens to carry a firearm for protection so that they do not become a statistic. It should also be noted that three of the homicides have been ruled to be "justified."

12/1/06: National: Film Makes Weak Case Against Gun Control

From the article:

The images are gruesome. They elicit a visceral response - part nausea, part fascination. The atrocities they capture make us retch as they splash the retina with an acid so corrosive and mesmerizing that they linger in our mind's eye long after we've stopped looking.

Flaunted in mercifully pithy film clips, evil in all its fulsomeness is replayed before us. After a while, the images meld into one swarming mass of broken bodies, blood and gore. This is the idiom of fear, hatred, insanity and, ultimately, a testament to indifference in the face of man's unspeakable inhumanity to man.

This article is a negative review of the Jews For The Preservation Of Firearms Ownership's documentary, "Innocents Betrayed, and their book, "Death By Gun Control." I have seen "Innocents Betrayed" and would highly reccomend it. It is a movie that should be shown in schools, and may help change the mind of some people who are sitting on the fence when it comes to gun control. The book,"Death By Gun Control" is also excellent. You can order a copy of "Innocents Betrayed" here and a copy of "Death By Gun Control" here.

11/27/06: Dayton, Ohio: Store Clerk Involved In Gunfight With Would-be Robber

From the article:

Police said a man entered the Express Mart, 3999 Necco Ave., about 9 p.m. armed with a handgun. The clerk behind the counter pulled out a handgun of his own and both men discharged their weapons, Dayton police Sgt. Scott Lawson said.

If anti-gun people like Governor Bob Taft or Toby Hoover had their way, the clerk would have been unable to protect himself, and the criminal would have killed him.

11/27/06: Marshall County: Convicted Felon Suspected In Gruesome Shooting

From the article:

Police from around the country are looking for a violent felon, and the Marshall County Sheriff's Department says his latest crime was committed in the Ohio Valley.

Route 891 in Marshall County was the scene of a gruesome crime on Sunday afternoon.

Deputies found Destry Thompson in his car after it flipped, and he was bleeding profusely after being shot at point blank range.

Remember, felons aren't allowed to have guns, and gun control laws work, so this couldn't have happened...

11/27/06: National: Election Wasn't A Vote For Gun Control

From the article:

As the final election tallies come in, with only a few House races still yet to be determined, and the 2008 presidential race begun, a few things are clear: The 2006 midterm elections were a referendum on Iraq and the Republican leadership of Congress. It was a “thumping,” as the President acknowledged. But what they were not, as some on the far left would have you believe, was a mandate for more gun control.

Republicans are not always "pro-gun" and Democrats are not always "anti-gun." The Democrats may have seized control, but the anti-gun crowd did not.

11/27/06: Akron, Ohio: U. of Akron To Reassess Policy After Ex-Con Found Living In Dorm

From the article:

The University of Akron is reviewing its don't-ask, don't-tell policy regarding admission of felons to the school after a 45-year-old ex-convict was found living in a dorm.

Students living in the dorms may be living next to a convicted rapist, or any type of felon without even knowing it. To make rthings worse, they limit a student's ability to properly defend themselves by creating a "gun-free zone."

11/26/06: Lebanon, Ohio: Man Who Robbed UDF Sought By Police

From the article:

Lebanon police are looking for a man who robbed a United Dairy Farmers on North Broadway late Friday.

It is well known that the United Dairy Farmer stores are posted. Their stores are "criminal protection zones," because they rob their customers of their right to carry a firearm for self-defense while shopping there. This latest robbery is just more proof that posting a store does not prevent crime!

11/25/06: Ohio: Professor Who Took Gun To Airport Cleared Of Charge

From the article:

Ohio State University professor Frank Holtzhauer has been cleared of illegally carrying a loaded gun in his briefcase when he tried to board a plane at Port Columbus on July 11, 2005.

"The defendant never deliberately closed his eyes to the fact he had his gun when he entered the airport security area," said U.S. Magistrate Mark R. Abel, in an opinion released Tuesday. "He simply forgot."

It is nice to see that Holtzhauer is not going to be charged for making a honest mistake.

11/24/06: National:
"http://www.greatfallstribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061124/NEW..."target="_blank">Groups Pushing To Allow Firearms In National Parks

From the article:

Sen. George Allen, R-Va., introduced legislation on Nov. 16 that would allow citizens to bring firearms into all 390 national park sites in compliance with federal law and state regulations in which the parks are located. The law does not differentiate between parks in urban areas, like the Gateway Arch in downtown St. Louis, and those in remote areas, like Glacier National Park in Montana.

The Buckeye Firearms Association thanks Senator Allen for introducing this important legislation. If the bill passes, law-abiding citizens will no longer be robbed of their right to carry a firearm to protect themselves and their families while visiting a national park.

11/24/06: Columbus, Ohio: Shooting ToThe Top

From the article:

Steven Nozaki of Waiakea has found success on the Ohio State rifle team

Its great to see a college based rifle team and its great to see that Waiakea's hometown is proud of his accomplishments. The Buckeye Firearms Association wishes Waiakea good luck in his future endeavors off and on the range.

11/23/06: Cincinnati, Ohio: 2006 A Year Of Changing Crime Statistics

From the article:

It's a year of change. Ten of the murders so far have elements of self-defense - also called justifiable homicide. And in recent months the type of murders in the city changed, after a violent gang of drug dealers and robbers was broken up by mass federal indictments.

Victims of crime are tired of being victims and are finally fighting back. This is why it is very important to pass a "Stand Your Ground/Castle Doctrine" law in Ohio. The Buckeye Firearms Association is working hard to make it happen!

11/22/06: Mississippi: Anti-Gun Mayor Pleads Guilty To Firearms Charges

From the article:

A Mississippi mayor has pleaded guilty to misdemeanor weapons charges after carrying a handgun on church and school property, and a gun rights group thinks now would be a good time for him to step down from Mayors Against Illegal Guns (MAIG).

Jackson Mayor Frank Melton, a Democrat, pleaded guilty Nov. 15 to the misdemeanors to avoid felony charges that would have cost him his job. Instead of jail time, he was fined $1,500 and put on a year's probation.

Melton is a hypocrite. He is a classic example of a gun-grabber who feels that he is above the gun laws that he tries to force upon everyone else. To make things worse, Bloomberg (Mayor of New York City) sees no reason for melton to resign from MAIG. You can read about that here.

11/23/06: National: Group Has NRA In Sights

From the article:

Schoenke and his partners appeared at a national outdoor writers convention in Lake Charles, La., recently to muster awareness and support for the new American Hunters & Shooters Association, billed as an alternative to the NRA.

The association, said Schoenke, president of the new group, is more middle-of-the-road politically than the NRA.

The article is nothing but an attack piece on the NRA, and a fluff piece for the American Hunters and Shooters Association (AHSA), a gun-grabbing organization in disguise. The article doesnot give you some important facts. For example, they do not mention that the AHSA's leadership is made up by a "Whos's Who" of gun-grabbers. The scary thing is that similiar fuff pieces are occurring more regularly. You can learn more about the anti-gun AHSA here.