Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, a long-time friend of Buckeye Firearms Association who has once again earned our endorsement in the 2010 Republican primary, has invited supporters to join her and several of her pro-gun colleagues at a Skeet Shooting and Luncheon fundraiser at the Blackwing Shooting Center in Delaware on April 17.

Joining Schmidt will be several other Congressmen who have earned our primary endorsement, including Steve Austria, Bob Latta, Pat Tibieri, Mike Turner, and Republican Leader John Boehner. Also attending will be Congressmen Jim Jordan and Steve LaTourette, both past BFA endorsees.

Registration begins at 9:30 AM, with skeet shooting at 10:00 AM, followed by a luncheon and awards ceremony at noon.

By Chad D. Baus

It's election season, which means it's polling season.

A few recent surveys are worth taking note of as some Ohio gun owners begin early voting, while many others make plans to head to the polls on May 4.

From a March 11 The Washington Times editorial entitled "The NRA outshoots Obama":

The National Rifle Association has a higher mean approval rating among likely voters than Barack Obama. This and other fascinating facts emerged from the Democracy Corps/Third Way national security survey released this week. According to its liberal authors, the "sobering" results of the survey provide "a wake-up call for President Obama, his party and progressives on national security."

Back in Ohio, the The Dayton Daily News is reporting that Republican Rob Portman has a slight edge over both Democratic candidates - Secretary of State Jennifer Brunner and Lt. Gov. Lee Fisher - among voters in the U.S. Senate race in a poll released on Wednesday, March 24. And an unpopular President Obama is having an impact on the results.

By Jim Irvine

This is how Arizona Sheriff Richard Mack, who sued the U.S. Government over the "Brady bill" gun control bill starts his book, From My Cold Dead Fingers. His case, summed up by the quote above is proof that even in this day and age, there is hope that our great country could one day return to the system of government that our Founding Fathers intended.

Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) is proud to announce endorsements for a host of local, statewide and federal offices in the May 4 primaries.

As a political action committee, BFA has been issuing endorsements in every election season for the past eight years. New for 2010 is the BFA grading system. Through a system of weighing candidate surveys and voting records (where applicable), candidates are now being graded on the traditional A, B, C, D or F scale, in addition to being considered for an endorsement.

"There are more contested races this year than any time in our history," said Jim Irvine, BFA Chairman. "It became clear early on in the 2010 campaign process that we were going to need to have more flexibility to differentiate between candidates than was possible with our original endorsement system. Pro-gun voters can now fill out their absentee ballot or step into the voting booth with a greater degree of understanding about a candidate's views on the Second Amendment in general, and Ohio gun rights in particular, than we've ever been able to provide."

The endorsement committee is currently focused on contested primary races, given that voters are given a choice in those races. Candidate surveys are still being received and scored, and more grades and endorsements can be expected in the coming days.

Click here to view BFA's 2010 Primary grades and endorsements.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry invites Buckeye Firearms Association supporters to join us on charter buses from Ohio to Washington D.C.

We will run two trips, one originating in Cleveland ($55) stopping in Youngstown and a second originating from Cincinnati ($85) with stops in Dayton and Columbus. Buses are scheduled to arrive in Washington, D.C. around 9:30 AM and will depart after the March at 4:00 PM.

This will be a long day - the first bus will be leaving Cincinnati very late the night of April 18, stopping in Dayton and Columbus. The second bus will leave Cleveland, stopping in Youngstown, very early the morning of 19th, and both buses returning on April 19 to their respective stops after the March.

Meals are extra. Reservations are non-refundable. Reservations are made through the OFCC webstore where pick up locations and times are listed.

If you have any questions about this trip please contact Gary Witt, 614-402-9138 or gwitt@ohioccw.org.

Click here to purchase tickets in the OFCC store.

Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) is proud to announce our endorsement of Jon Husted in the Republican primary for Secretary of State.

Jon Husted has a 100% voting record with us during his time in the legislature, including State Representative, State Senator and Speaker of the House. He is one of the few political candidates to have earned an "A+" rating from the BFA this year.

Survey will help ODNR gauge deer hunters’ preferences

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), Division of Wildlife encourages all Ohio white-tailed deer hunters and those with an interest in deer hunting to take a survey at wildohio.com. The survey will be available through mid-April.

The Division of Wildlife is considering some changes to the current deer firearms seasons. Anyone who would like to comment on this topic is encouraged to take a few minutes to provide some information and answer a few questions regarding preferences of possible new opportunities. Responses to the survey are confidential.

Information provided by hunters through surveys is vital to the successful management of Ohio's wildlife and the division encourages all hunters to participate. Wildlife biologists use survey data in combination with biological data from wildlife populations to identify ways of improving hunting in Ohio.

By Jim Irvine

I needed to buy a new car. I knew what I wanted; it was just a matter of what dealership to buy from. The one most convenient to me was posted "no guns." So I had planned to buy elsewhere and send them one of our "No Guns = No Money" cards. But I decided it would be much better if I could just talk them into un-posting their business.

I have talked many businesses into removing the "no guns" signs. It's generally easy. I ask for the owner or manager and politely ask them why they posted. Sometimes I ask what effect the signs will have on criminals, on law enforcement, or on other customers.

I don't "tell" them to remove their signs. I ask them questions to get them to think about the effect of posting the signs. No one wants a shootout in their store. No one wants their employees endangered. No one wants to be targeted by a criminal. No one wants to turn away customers.

Buckeye Firearms Association leaders were on hand Tuesday at a Senate Judiciary on Criminal Justice Committee hearing. The committee is chaired by Sen. Tim Grendell (R-18), heard sponsor and proponent testimony on Senate Bill 239, which seeks to allow citizens who hold a valid concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a firearm in restaurants, and to reduce burdensome restrictions regarding how a license holder must transport a firearm in a car.

The bill's primary sponsors, Senators Schaffer and Shannon Jones offered proponent testimony, and took questions from the committee.

Following the sponsors' testimony, the committee heard proponent testimony from Nikki Goeser, a Tennessee concealed carry license-holder who was rendered defenseless by state law when she entered a sports bar on night in early 2009, and could do nothing but watch as a man who had been stalking her murdered her husband.

The Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) has asked the Ohio Republican Party (ORP) to issue a correction to a press release published on the party's website March 24.

The release, entitled "Yost Endorsed by Buckeye Firearms for Auditor of State", failed to report that Yost and his primary opponent Rep. Seth Morgan, both received endorsements.

"In failing to make that important distinction, it appears the Ohio Republican Party hopes to mislead voters into thinking our political action committee issued a singular endorsement to Yost," said Jim Irvine, BFA Chairman. "Buckeye Firearms Association will not 'choose between friends' in this primary race, and has issued a dual endorsement of Seth Morgan and Dave Yost. It is frustrating that Republican voters, which were until recently looking forward the prospect of voting for pro-gun candidates in many statewide races, are now facing a situation where one race (for attorney general) is left without a strong candidate on our issue, while in the auditor's race, one staunch friend will surely lose."

ORP Chairman Kevin DeWine has not responded to BFA's request for a correction in a timely manner. As such, it became necessary to issue a public statement denouncing the misleading press release.

Dave Yost was endorsed by the Buckeye Firearms Association, who issued a dual endorsement in the race for Ohio Auditor of State.