This November will be ground zero for the enemies of freedom trying to turn the tide against our gun rights in the Buckeye State, serving as a launching pad for their national gun ban crusade. Our opponents will be pulling out all the stops as the mid-term election nears, so it is more important than ever that we block their campaign against the Second Amendment.

To ensure we are prepared to meet the challenges and opportunities we will face this election season, NRA-ILA is hosting a free volunteer kick-off meeting on September 13, 2010 in Westerville!

At this meeting, we will lay out our plans for our grassroots election strategies in your area and show you how you can help. You will also get to meet and begin working with your NRA-ILA Campaign Field Representative -- an NRA-ILA staff person living in your area, coordinating our volunteer activities right through Election Day, November 2!

This meeting is absolutely free and beverages and light snacks will be provided. It should run approximately 60-90 minutes. Please make plans to attend and encourage your fellow NRA members to attend as well.

Here are the details:

by Gerard Valentino

The Columbus Dispatch and The Toledo Blade editorial boards have recently ramped up their anti-gun rhetoric with two editorials attacking Ohio's pro-gun community. One spoke out against a bill that would make it illegal for employers to ban guns locked in personally owned vehicles while at work (The Columbus Dispatch, "Taking guns to work"), and the other attacked Ohio's non-resident concealed carry licensing laws (The Toledo Blade, "Mail-order gun permits").

On the surface, The Dispatch and The Blade arguments against letting employees keep guns in their cars and letting Ohioans use the non-resident licensing process to legally carry guns appear compelling.

Unfortunately, the case put forth by both lacks one important component – a factual basis.

by Ken Hanson Esq.

Regular readers of our website are familiar with the refrain "elections matter." Buckeye Firearms Association feels that elections are the most important component of firearm rights: without pro-gun legislators, prosecutors, judges and law enforcement, your fundamental right to own firearms and your fundamental right to self-defense are in constant peril.

To give the reader an illustration of the importance of elections, we need to look no further than the final day of testimony on SB239 (restaurant carry and eliminating car carry restrictions) and SB247 (fixing Ohio's restoration of rights statute). On this day, those opposed to your rights got their opportunity to testify in front of the Senate. The tone, and content, of the testimony starkly reveals the difference between elected and unelected officials.

FOX News is reporting that the Obama administration has banned the importation of nearly 1 million antique M1 Garand rifles that were used by U.S. soldiers in the Korean War for sale to gun collectors in America.

A State Department spokesman told reporters the administration's decision was based on concerns that the guns could fall into the wrong hands.

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's Office is closing its Cleveland concealed handgun licensing (CHL) office today and moving it to Parma.

According to the article, the new office will open Sept. 15 at the auto title office at 12100 Snow Road.

From the article:

"The new location also offers free and plentiful, immediate access parking and evening hours on Wednesdays," spokesman John O'Brien said.

"A second, east side location is under search, and location selection will be based on feedback and analysis of the Parma location issues and benefits."

The Parma office will be open by appointment only from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays; 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesdays; and 8:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Call 216-443-5563.

by Jim Irvine

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray (D) has released the concealed handgun license (CHL) statistics for the second quarter of 2010. At the end of June, we had an all time record of approximately 199,577 Ohio residents licensed to carry concealed firearms. (See chart)

We are now in our seventh year of concealed carry in Ohio and it is clear that the program is popular, successful and growing. Ohio's law became effective in April of 2004. With that initial surge, the second quarter has remained ahead of other years in terms of the average number of licenses issued. While this year's second quarter demand was lower than last year, when there was a spike following President Obama's taking office, the 14,898 regular licenses were still more than 32% higher than the average second quarter numbers.