More than a year ago, when Democratic congressman Ted Strickland announced his candidacy for governor, we asked the question: What will a pro-gun Democrat do to the Ohio governor's race? We noted that in recent years, the pickings for Ohio gun owners have been slim when it came to the governors' race. Whether it was George Voinovich or Bob Taft, the OhioGOP simply has not had much to offer people concerned with the protection of our self-defense rights, and that choices among Democrat contenders were even worse.

Now his party's gubernatorial nominee, Ted Strickland has listed yet another thing he says he is willing to do for Ohioans that Republican Bob Taft isn't: pass HB347 as it left the Ohio House in a 76-18 vote.

Strickland Statement on Ohio Senate's Failure to Act on Legislation to Strengthen Protections for Ohio's Gun Owners

Columbus, Ohio – Ohio gubernatorial candidate Congressman Ted Strickland today offered the following statement on the Ohio Senate’s failure to act on HB 347, legislation to strengthen protections for Ohio’s gun owners, before retiring for summer recess.

“Ohio’s GOP leadership has demonstrated that they are unwilling to act on important legislation to strengthen protections for Ohio’s gun owners.

The improvements needed to Ohio’s current concealed carry law outlined in HB 347 have bipartisan support from both Democratic and Republican legislators in the Ohio House of Representatives. But the Republican-controlled senate has stalled this very important bill indefinitely.

As governor, I would support passage of this bill in its entirety and would sign HB 347 into law the moment it hit my desk. I urge the legislature to stop the delay and pass this legislation as soon as possible.”

Related Stories:
The Ohio GOP Senate Leadership and the Selling Out of Gun Owners

The 2006 General Election – A Hobson’s Choice for a GOP Gun Owner

Open Letter to Governor Bob Taft

Op-Ed: Taft's Last Chance to Help the Party He's Hurting

Does a Strickland win signal a paradigm shift for Ohio Democrats?

Will Bob Taft help Democrats win this November?

Moment of truth for Republican Caucus: Governor threatens to veto gun bill

Pro-gun Democrat elected to head party in Ohio

By Larry S. Moore
Merriam-Webster defines Pathologist as “a specialist in pathology; specifically : one who interprets and diagnoses the changes caused by disease in tissues and body fluids.”

The story, Children and Gun Safety: Education Is the Key is currently on biz.yahoo.com and the PRNewswire. While this story is better than most media advice pieces regarding guns, it does stop well short of the whole story. It is interesting to note that the information on gun storage could be taken from just about any state's hunter education program. Even more interesting is the advice in the next to last paragraph. Knowledgeable readers will quickly see this is taken directly from the NRA Eddie Eagle program
(Don’t touch, tell an adult). So why can't the pathologists give credit where it is due - to the real gun experts? Or even better provide links so readers who want more information know where to find it.
The story seems written from the perspective of protecting children from guns in their homes. A larger challenge is to educate those children whose parents don't own guns or even are afraid of guns. This may be the most curious and at risk group of youngsters. The pathologists suggest asking your neighbors if there are guns in their homes. On the surface this seems like a good idea. However, I take offense. Lots of things in home pose dangers to our children. Based on the continuing decline of firearms accidents, guns are a very minor part. I do not imply that we should take firearm safety lightly. However, parents should be asking a lot of questions about where their children are playing and what they are doing. The story mentions gun cleaning solvents but does not mention the risk posed by household cleaners or perhaps mice poison, paints, gasoline, etc. What about animals in the house from the common dogs and cats to the exotics that many people like? Most parents probably let their children play various types of ball, tag, or even badminton with their neighbors. Yet the injury rate with these games is higher than firearms.
The story also addresses firearms only from one perspective, hunting. "If you have a gun in your home, particularly if hunting is an important part of family recreation, teach your children to use guns safely and responsibly." The pathologists seem to ignore the possibilities of having a gun for self-protection or for target shooting. Yet we know many people, who never hunt, enjoy various types of firearm recreational shooting or keep a gun for protection. Could it be the story is trying to quietly suggest that hunting is the only reason to own a gun?

And now, with apologies to Paul Harvey, click on 'Read More' for "the rest of the story".