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.

---

UPDATE 4:15 PM: The ORP has updated the press release to include the following:

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

By Gerard Valentino

Chicago is the center of the gun world as all parties involved in the gun debate in America await the Supreme Court ruling on whether the longtime citywide gun ban is constitutional. Sadly, if there is a city that would benefit from more permissive gun laws for law-abiding citizens it is Chicago.

What many people don't realize is there have been over 13,000 murders in Chicago since the younger Richard Daley was first elected mayor in 1989.

To put that number in perspective, it means since 1989 Chicago has experienced a 9/11 roughly every 4 years, or one 9/11 for each of Daley's terms in office.