Ohio Attorney General Candidates to Speak on Sunday

The three declared candidates for Ohio Attorney General have indicated that they will attend and speak at the Ohioans for Concealed Carry's Party in the Park event this coming Sunday, August 3rd. The keynote speaker for this event is Cam Edwards from NRA News, and there will be other speakers, including me. The event will be at Liberty Park in Delaware County, north of Columbus, and the public is invited. Tomorrow, Friday, August 1st, is the last day to purchase tickets. You may also bring your own food and drinks and attend for free. You can get more information, including ticket info and a map to the event here and here.

The Ohio Attorney General is an office of particular importance to Ohio firearm owners, so please consider taking this opportunity to meet the candidates.

Liveblog from Camp Perry

You can catch the latest news from the Nationals at Camp Perry here - definitely worth checking out periodically!

ORPA Juniors Shine!

Folks sometimes ask me what you get for an ORPA membership, other than the newsletter and the ability to compete at ORPA matches. Well, it's not all about politics. For one thing, you help support events like the one described here. You also help support our teams, both adult and junior, at the Nationals. No other Ohio firearm organization has as many teams competing at the highest level or runs as many matches.

Thanks go to Tom and Peg Paumier, Newt Engle, and many other folks, along with the University of Akron, for all their hard work and Ohio's fine showing.

If a young person you know might be interested in air-rifle marksmanship, please contact Tom at the email given near the end of the story.

First Shot at Camp Perry

Today, there was the annual First Shot Ceremony at Camp Perry for the National Rifle and Pistol Championships. As ORPA President, I was invited to attend, and I was very honored and happy to represent your Ohio Rifle and Pistol Association. Speakers included Governor Ted Strickland and U.S. Representatives Marcy Kaptur and Bob Latta. Camp Perry is in Representative Kaptur's district, and, as many of you know, Representative Latta has shot many times at Camp Perry, and he said that he is planning to shoot once again in this year's Garand Match. NRA President John Sigler was the primary speaker and the "First Shooter." The First Shot Rifle was a one-of-a-kind Bushmaster DCM, generously donated by Bushmaster.

There were many other distinguished guests and a large crowd on hand to witness Army parachutists jumping from a helicopter with a U.S. flag that had flown over the U.S. Capitol and a flyover of Air National Guard fighters. I was not in the best position to take photographs, but there are a few below. Please note the pictures of the Shooters' Memorial, where they are gradually replacing the plain bricks with engraved bricks. A few examples are shown. It is not too late to get your own brick(s). Click here for more information.

Please plan on attending the National Matches, if you are not participating. Ohio is privileged to have the finest shooters in the world attend, and there are many shooting-related vendors also available with special National Match deals. More information on the matches can be found here and here. Many ORPA Members and Teams shoot at these matches, and many Members also give much of their time and effort in helping to run these matches.

Parachutists bringing flag

First Shot!

After First Shot

NRA President Sigler

Shooters' Memorial

Shooters' Memorial bricks

Commercial Row, open for business!

Interesting Events in Willowick

There have been interesting events in Willowick, Ohio, the last couple of weeks. A citizen who was openly carrying a firearm in a holster was stopped by police officers, and most would agree that the citizen was not treated in the most professional manner (audio available - please note, contains foul language). Although open carry is somewhat controversial, it is legal in Ohio (with some exceptions) and in many states for those who are lawful firearm owners, not just Concealed Handgun License holders. For example, the City of Akron has circulated a memo reinforcing the general legality of open carry in Ohio. The original story, including the audio of the encounter (near the bottom on the webpage) is available here. A followup story is available here, with various police records, including reports and police calls. Finally, Ohioans for Concealed Carry had a very productive meeting with Willowick city officials, and this is discussed here. Congratulations to OFCC for their hard (and effective) work on this, turning an unfortunate incident into a positive.

Happy Fourth of July! Don't forget about those who have helped secure and continue to help secure our freedoms.