By Larry S. Moore

Governor Ted Strickland hosted his third Governor's Sportsmen Reception on December 23. Once again leading sportsmen and sportswomen from across Ohio converged at the Governor's Mansion to share the spirit and warmth of the season. Well before he was Governor, Strickland identified with the sportsmen, gun and conservation groups across Ohio. Since becoming Governor, he has maintained the close contact through the annual reception, spring youth turkey hunting and the annual Fish Ohio Day at Lake Erie. No governor in my memory, at least since Jim Rhodes, has made such an effort and connection with Ohio's sportsmen and sportswomen.

The Governor, looking fit and relaxed, circulated among the assembled guests greeting many friends and introducing himself to new visitors. ODNR Director Sean Logan and I had an opportunity to share holiday greetings. While discussing the ease with which the Governor individually welcomed the guests, Director Logan noted that Governor Strickland is most at home with the sportsmen group saying, "These are real people assembled here. They are genuine in their outdoor interests and honest hard working people. These are the people that make Ohio and the people with which the Governor most readily identifies."

By Gerard Valentino

A recent op-ed written by Dayton Daily News columnist Martin Gottlieb, and entitled "In wake of conceal/carry, new stats worth a look," tries to paint Ohio's concealed handgun license-holders as one breath away from going on a killing spree. As usual with the establishment media, Gottlieb's Daily News article (which was republished in other Cox Publishing-owned papers in Ohio, including the Hamilton Journal-News and Lebanon Western-Star) uses arguments based on the same tired anti-gun themes, with a dose of deception to make his case.

The op-ed is peppered with dubious "facts," while making statements that are supposed to show he is open to both sides of the argument. But, anyone looking at the piece objectively can see how Mr. Gottlieb tries to paint all license holders with the same brush.

Like a magician, he uses a few sleight of hand tricks to bury admissions that license holders really aren't a risk to public safety under the weight of anecdotal evidence that he claims proves otherwise. It's easy to see through his ruse, however.

By pointing out the bad actions of a few criminals, Gottlieb is planting the seed that anyone with a license is a risk to public safety. What he fails to do, however, is bring up a single issue that hasn't already been discredited in the debate over concealed carry laws.

His own words, and willingness to use lies of omission, are enough to show that Mr. Gottlieb had a premise, and then set about finding facts to fit.