Buckeye Firearms Association

Headline: Ohio Supreme Court rules some with federal restrictions could have gun rights restored

SHummel — Mon, 15 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The Ohio Supreme Court on June 2 ruled 6-1 that people who are federally prohibited from possessing firearms because of a prior criminal conviction could petition the state for restored gun rights.

According to NBC4i, the court found that a federal firearm prohibition does not automatically prevent a person from having state firearms rights reinstated, providing the state and federal prohibitions are the result of the same conviction.

From the article:

The case stems from Allen County, where Patrick Heffley was convicted of felony domestic violence in 2006, leading to a state and federal firearm prohibition, according to court documents.

Federal law bans citizens convicted of a crime punishable by a prison term exceeding one year from owning a firearm, and Ohio law bans those convicted of violent felonies from owning a firearm. Under federal law, a person’s firearms rights can be restored if the state restores them. …

The high court ultimately sided with Heffley. In a majority opinion, Justice Patrick DeWine explained that “otherwise” means “in a different way or manner.”

“In this case, Heffley’s state and federal firearms disabilities arise from a single state conviction – his 2006 domestic-violence conviction — which is the subject of his application for relief,” DeWine wrote. “Heffley has only one disabling conviction. He is not otherwise prohibited by law from having a firearm.”

Justice Jennifer Brunner, the court's only Democrat, was the only dissenter.

Read the full article at nbc4i.com.

Some Ohio felons could get expedited pardon, gun rights restored

Interview with police trainer Ron Borsch on church security teams stopping active killer incidents

SHummel — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

by SemperVerus

Editor's note: This interview was first published on SemperVerus.com. Along with the topics of personal growth, safety, and spiritual discernment, the SemperVerus blog includes articles concerning self-defense and church security.

SemperVerus interviewed Ron Borsch, one of the world’s leading authorities on active killer attacks.

Please describe your decades of experience as a police officer and a police trainer that have given you expert insight into appropriately responding to active killer incidents.

I first served as a Military Police Officer (101st Paratroops, Viet Nam 1965-66) before serving 30 years as a Bedford Ohio, police officer. My BPD duties included Patrol, Rangemaster, SWAT, Active and Defensive Tactics trainer, and transition to auto-pistol training. Most of that time included my own-cost training during vacation at various national and international courses and conferences in multiple states and places, including Alaska and Canada, presenting at some.

My highest achievement promotion earned was that of Monadnock International Instructor, (two police baton systems and one empty-hand defensive tactics system). This was a challenging several-day process of written and proficiency practice culminating in a final proficiency examination before a panel of senior International Instructor judges. Very helpful preparation was years of experience at lesser Monadnock instructor levels.

I also earned staff instructor status with the Kent Martial Arts Club, (OH) and participation sitting on expert panels (Deadly Force, led by Massad Ayoob and Active Killer led by Don Alwes) for several years at International Law Enforcement Educators and Trainers Association (ILEETA) conferences.

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Upon my retirement at BPD in 1997, harnessing my decades of experience and having earned numerous other instructor credentials in different disciplines, as a second career, the seven SEALE Chiefs of Police commissioned me to found SEALE Regional Police Training Academy at the Bedford Recreation Center serving as the manager and lead trainer (1998 to 2015). Aside from regular courses for Ohio officers, ten other states sent officers to my innovative and exclusive “Single Officers Lifesaving Others” course. SOLO was a revolutionary concept of countering active killers then, more commonly accepted today. Using my term, the “Stopwatch of Death”, Police1 editor Rachael Fretz, in a 2007 internet newsletter, interviewed a few experts, including myself, in a two-part article.

“Lifesaving Others” was a critical component to some of the courses I designed as manager of the Academy. “Working Smarter Instead of Harder” was also a critical component in my practical arrest control courses. Many particular physical resistance problems may very well be solved by adapting a martial arts tactic. Solving such problems is a good police trainer’s specialty.

One example was another of my innovations, the “Bedford Car Sweep” technique. As there was often an unnecessary muscular struggle at the resisting arrest subject’s vehicle, the patrol car, or at the booking desk. Adapting Judo principles of leverage and unbalancing, with police tactics, I solved that common problem for my agency and others. The resister’s surprise loss of balance base (both of his legs in the air, torso flat on the hood or trunk) and temporary astonishment gave the officers precious moments to complete the arrest and allow handcuff control.

Decades ago, my first law enforcement article (unpublished) was “What to do until SWAT arrives.” Intended for first-level supervision, it was issued to all seven SEALE police departments’ brass. Later, of course, for SEALE Academy, I authored a mini-manual student workbook for each of several courses I taught. I have written articles for an email published PACT newsletter for several years (now in temporary hibernation), which specialized in active killer activity. More recently, I contributed four chapters in three published books, and most recently, received an honorable mention in a fourth book, First 30 Seconds: The Active Shooter Problem. Those are in addition to authoring a couple of dozen internet-published articles. I recommend First 30 Seconds, as the author, LTC/Ret Ed Monk, followed my PACT newsletter’s Active Killer Corner since 2021, did his own research, and I am now learning more as I read his book.

Why do you prefer to use the term Rapid Mass Murder (RMM) instead of active killer (or active shooter)?

Rapid Mass Murder is the act; an Active Killer is the actor. The POTENTIAL of RMM has been 1.27 attempted murders per second as established by the 2011 Congresswoman Gabriel Giffords attempted assassination in Tucson, AZ (and a couple others). There were six murdered, 13 wounded in 15 seconds, before being stopped (by attendees). Police arrived in four minutes. That’s five attempted murders in four seconds; stunningly fast. I no longer use the deceptive averages (“six minutes or less”). This potential is far more instructive and illuminating on the rapidity with which Rapid Mass Murder and/or attempts can be committed. The implements and tools used for criminal murder are blameless as they are inanimate objects (knives, guns, arson, etc.), requiring human (NUTS [see next question]) intervention.”

The poor descriptive term active shooter, however, fails to denote a criminal act, while insulting innocent active shooters such as our honorable military, police, and citizens that practice personal shooting training and/or compete in the legal sport of shooting competition. This poor term was selected and disseminated by both unthinking police spokesmen and our anxious anti-gun media.

What is your assessment of the RMM threat level facing churches today and the reasons why churches should include armed security team volunteers in their ministry?

Targeting church congregations is a relatively new and growing RMM trend for those afflicted with Numerous Unstable or Troubling Symptoms, (“NUTS”). The inanimate tool itself is not the problem; it’s the human who activates it. The human with murder on his mind is clearly the single problem that must be focused on and seriously addressed. These days, houses of worship without a protection team that forbids trusted congregants, otherwise legal to carry, are morally irresponsible, failing to consider the potential negative and tragic consequences of their actions, while unintentionally “inviting” an active killer attack. “A prudent person foresees danger and takes precautions. The simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences” — Proverbs 22:3.

“Time and tide wait for no man.” Because of the Time-Distance problem for police response and the potential rapidity of an active killer incident, the most effective countermeasure for frequented targets has been documented as armed and unarmed resistance already on site. Houses of worship should bank on facts to have trained, equipped, armed, prepared, and willing guardians Already On-Site. Houses of worship are similar to schools in fitting the active killer’s apparent formula: “Find and target a group of innocents in an alleged “gun free” zone, (by law or rule).” The active killer typically researches and reconnoiters locations, preferring those that forbid armed citizens. Schools or houses of worship with known armed school staff or known protection teams are generally avoided. The exceptions are when the active killer has an axe to grind with a specific church, school, or persons. That alone is both reason and logic for armed school staff and for houses of worship facility protection teams. As long as active killers have free will to murder innocents, and facility leaders procrastinate on proven countermeasures, houses of worship will continue to be attacked.

Protecting the Flock

Forming a house of worship protection team could be difficult, depending on how reality-conscious (targeted attacks) and innovative church leaders are. Realizing there’s a problem and then searching for reality-based, practical-tactical solutions is real leadership. Unfortunately, most organizations are subject to bureaucracy, whereas “Bureaucracy destroys initiative,” and “Bureaucracy exists to protect itself.” Factually, trained and armed on-site guardians have been quite successful in mitigating or even preventing the bloodshed of innocents. So successful that cowardly active killers are generally known to avoid facilities that allow armed protectors. House of worship signs “advertising” this level of congregation protection should comfort parishioners while potentially preventing the bloodshed of innocents in the first place. To save lives and reduce the risk of this bloodshed, house of worship leaders should understand this.

Selecting Team Members

Present or former Law Enforcement officers, Fire/Medics, and Military are all pre-vetted candidates. Regular citizen volunteers need some form of vetting process. Those already state-certified to carry a concealed firearm, and especially if they frequently practice marksmanship or participate in competition, are also good candidates for vetting. Just because a person volunteers for this duty should not be the sole determination, as proper vetting may reveal disqualifiers. The house of worship leader should give the final approval.

How should armed church security team volunteer members regularly train to be properly equipped?

It is legally and tactically advantageous to seek outside certified/documented training. An example in Ohio is BuckeyeFirearms.org Protecting Houses of Worship classes. A certified/documented basic course is an excellent start of formal training. The Team leader can later appoint the most qualified staff member as the in-service firearms trainer. Safe gun handling—drawing and return to holster without looking (using empty/safe double-checked weapons)—should be trained, practiced, tested, and supervised. With live fire—documented and witnessed—practice at least as often as your state’s standard for law enforcement officers. More often would increase the odds of both winning an actual armed confrontation and legal attacks.

Ideally, the team guardians should also be covered by individual CCW insurance (for example, CCW Safe). The course of fire should be your own State Law Enforcement standard, especially if it involves Decision Making, Movement, and Surprise. If not, incorporate them with added time (not overly difficult time). In addition, create an even more documented, realistic (Reality Based) course of fire to be included in each training and practice session. Individual personal practice (encouraged to participate in outside organized competition) should be documented and retained in a personal logbook, including date, time periods, type of shooting, number of rounds fired, and, if possible, a witness signature. Ditto for group training. Occasional reality-based scenario training with training-safe laser pistols on-site inside the church should be conducted as dress rehearsals.

What is the correct mindset that an armed church security member should have?

Realization that when people are surprised by an attack, “Mental Freezing” is always our first reaction (we are not robots) preceding a reactive decision whether to fight or flee. Dependent on training, experience, attention, and where our minds were at when attacked (unfocused preoccupation or daydreaming?), physical reaction could range from split-second to a few seconds or longer for less reality-aware individuals. “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong. Do everything in love” — 1 Corinthians 16:13-14.

Team members should have a practiced and rehearsed welcoming attitude with a simultaneous but concealed suspicion awareness toward any strangers, troubled, or newer worshipers. Protection staff assisting greeters should be good with “Tongue Fu” (Deflecting, Disarming, and Defusing Verbal Conflict). Books and videotapes by Dr. George Thompson’s Verbal Judo are excellent learning aids for verbally deterring an interruptive but not yet a full-blown threat (“Is there a problem here”?). Speaking of “Troubled” people, it’s important to realize that in most cases, active killers will eventually be exposed as having had “Numerous Unstable or Troubling Symptoms,” (NUTS). Be fully aware that an active killer or assassin can be and have been both intelligent and educated, and still be afflicted with murderous NUTS. Protection staff should train and practice written articulation in after-action reports that may be needed for law enforcement and later for court.

An active killer’s family and friends would be more aware of these symptoms if they were on the subtle side. However, even more obvious NUTS clues are often NOT reported to the proper authorities. Outsiders, like protection staff, would have to take a closer, low-profile look for NUTS clues. Any suspicions should always be shared immediately with the rest of the protection staff. The practiced welcoming attitude must be dropped instantly when it becomes “Show-Time,” such as when a weapon is displayed or when an unarmed threat of physical violence is made. Criminal aggression begets justifiable aggression!

What skills should an armed church security volunteer seek to perfect?

Attention to relative detail, memory, and documentation of a suspicious person’s previous reconnoitering visits. Focusing on church security goals while on duty, anyone can be surprised; it’s just how brief the Surprise/Freeze is and how quickly you recover. Verbalization, small talk as an informal interview, reality-based practiced restraining and takedown tactics, knowledge of church security plans, strategy, and, of course, firearm tactics of Shoot-Move-Communicate.

What equipment should an armed volunteer carry and be proficient in while on duty during a church service?

A clean and well-maintained personal firearm, of course, with at least one reload. Portable radios with low-profile earpieces, pen and small notebook (document, document, document), wrist restraints or handcuffs, OC/Pepper projectors, and fully furnished Trauma kits are a beginning.

Less Than Lethal Options

“If a man’s only tool is a hammer, he tends to view all his problems as nails.” A pocket or belt-mounted 500 lumen flashlight can be a relatively harmless surprise distractor to flash in the eyes of a malcontent, potential attacker while quickly changing position to get off the line of the potential attack, almost unseen. Practice among staff protectors is recommended. When or if there’s a power failure, a flashlight can be precious: “In the country of the blind, the one-eyed man is king.”

Protection staff should have other less lethal options such as competency training with self-defense, restraining, and securing hands for police (for safety, wrist restraints or handcuffs are recommended). Tactical Problems often have chemical solutions. If an unarmed attacker poses a documented physical threat to parishioners or protection staff, the individual would be less of a threat to subdue if “blindfolded” temporarily with an approved law enforcement and security chemical projector. Subduing individuals will be much less labor-intensive and safer for both the resister and protector. Courtrooms, jails, and indoor facilities are using a gel or foam type Oleo Capsicum/Pepper formulation. The Gel or Foam is less likely to contaminate the facility area or cause uninvolved occupants to cough/sneeze and flee for fresh air.

OC/Pepper Gel or foam targeted at the eye and facial area is recommended as much less likely to affect the congregation, protection staff, and facility. The OC/Pepper projector should have a passive (finger slide forward deactivates), spring-loaded safety lid (photo), as found on MACE or Sabre products. Note: Gel and Foam type projecting OC/Pepper is easier to see and direct at the facial/eyes area. The trade-off with Gel or Foam is that they may be a bit slower-acting than a spray or stream OC/ Pepper. Never expect instant or total incapacitation with any OC/Pepper product. While regular streams or sprays work faster, however, they will unnecessarily contaminate the area.

Trauma Kit and Stop the Bleed Training

Remember that free training on your facility site may be available (and refreshers) from your local Fire Department. In addition to the house of worship protection team, I also suggest including volunteer parishioners in this critical lifesaving training. In a real active killer attack, as soon as the danger threat is over, you may need all-hands-on-deck to save the wounded. This is a satisfaction of saving lives priority! Plan and address those issues now before the potential chaotic event. Know that a single bullet wound can cause both an entry and exit wound, and that a person can bleed to death in four minutes or less, so much faster than any FD/EMT and Police officer can reach you. Multiply this by a few or several persons shot or stabbed, and you can see how blessed this valuable training of other parishioners and adequate trauma kits could be. Be aware that common first aid kits rarely include any items crucial for treating knife or gunshot wounds. A necessary EMT-type trauma kit would also include at least several tourniquets, plenty of wound-packing gauze, etc. Your local Fire Department may have relevant suggestions on what your trauma kit should contain and where you could buy them.

In an ideal setting, what do you recommend to be the proper number and positioning of security volunteers in a church building/parking lot while a worship service is in progress?

That would depend entirely on the size and layout of the house of worship. If the nursery room is too distant from the main chapel area, consider having a guardian stationed in a chair outside. Each security team should consider, reconsider, and verify the necessary numbers and positioning in their own house of worship. A small church may well be protected with three guardians, and larger houses of worship may require a staff of a dozen or more protectors.

Concentric Circles of Protection

Megachurches with a larger protection team should have overlapping Concentric Circles of Protection. Some staff can be in less noticeable, low-profile tactical positions. At least one protector should be near the house of worship leader, as sometimes they’re the initial target.

Depending on the size and layout of the house of worship, concentric circles of security are vital. Protection teams should use tabletop planning and strategy gaming for their own churches to practice planned assignments with both a full team and when shorthanded (reviewed periodically).

Because some attempted church murders preceded entry into the church, it’s critical to have a guardian or point man outside to observe the main entry point. He or she should be low-profile, in a parked car, ready to quickly act SOLO and/or radio any suspicions to the inside group. Because the Secret Service uses concentric circles of protection, the recent assassination attempt on President Trump’s life was stopped after the assassin breached the first two outer circles of security.

“Good planning and hard work lead to prosperity, but hasty shortcuts lead to poverty” Proverbs 21:5. The main congregation room of worship should have hardware to quickly and securely lock the main doors in an emergency. Here we’re talking about commercial hardware at the top and bottom of the doors, secured into the frame above and the floor below. When alerted, protection staff would lock the doors as the final option in protecting the congregation. In case of arson, parishioners could exit the fire door(s) (inaccessible from the outside).

Consider for present and future staff training, the video example of several well-trained and experienced Secret Service agents on a presidential speaking detail actually experiencing the temporary freeze or pause by surprise and sheer speed of attack by a single NUT armed with a shotgun. Viewing multiple times may reveal details you might not have noticed on prior viewings. Group discussion is also important. In this 6-minute video showing actual and slower speeds of the attempted assassination of President Trump, you will see that the tactical principle, “Speed, Surprise, and Violence of Action” can work for you as well as against you.

What information do you provide in your PACT Consultant Group email newsletter and how may people subscribe to it?

My PACT newsletter was generally focused on Active Killer, Terrorist, and other criminal activity, subscribed to mostly by law enforcement officers. However, I may not restart the PACT newsletter sends, as my friend Greg Ellifritz has a larger audience and has agreed to periodically include my newsletter on his ActiveResponseTraining.net website. I also wrote the guest column for Greg’s website: Is Your Congregation Prepared for an Active Killer?

Is there anything else you’d like to say?

Thank you for the opportunity to share lifesaving information with a wider house of worship protection team audience. While I am new to SemperVerus, I am impressed with what appears to be great quality and quantity of articles and data. Now all I need is more spare time to explore it!

Republished with permission from SemperVerus.com.

Gannett’s USA TODAY blasts guns, Second Amendment rights, sanity

SHummel — Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

by Lee Williams, Second Amendment Foundation

The Sarasota Herald-Tribune, the last newspaper where I worked, regularly provided outstanding journalism until Gannett bought it in 2019.

Before the purchase, we had scores of reporters and dozens of editors. Our print edition could reach nearly 200,000 people on a Sunday.

My editors were smart and community focused. After all, they let me start a blog about guns and gun rights.

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When Gannett bought us, everything changed. Massive layoffs and firings became the norm. They also deleted my entire gun blog.

Today, the Sarasota Herald-Tribune has a grand total of one editor and three reporters—one even lives in another state. Nearly all they write are press releases. Their print circulation is kept secret, but it’s probably less than 5,000.

That, friends, is my history with Gannett, the largest newspaper chain in the country and publisher of USA TODAY. I believe it’s important for you to know my experiences when you read this story.

On a recent Monday morning, USA TODAY columnist Joel Burgess published this: “I like shooting guns, but I can never keep one in my home | Opinion.”

The entirely nonsensical headline was followed by this drivel:

“My grandfather’s gun made nobody safer. My family’s experience with his suicide shows the potential dangers of a firearm in the home, particularly one that is unlocked and loaded.”

Before we look at his work, here’s a little about the columnist. According to his LinkedIn page, Burgess has been a USA TODAY columnist for less than two years.

Before becoming a columnist, he was a reporter at the Asheville Citizen-Times, which today has two editors and six reporters. Before that, he sold cycling parts for a North Carolina firm.

It shows.

He doesn’t hate guns, he claimed:

“And I’ve fired some big ones, like a .357 magnum and an AR-15, starting when I was in Boy Scouts. But I still see firearms in a different way.”

I will leave his “big ones” comment alone. There are more important issues to address.

He mentions the “premier medical journal JAMA,” which posted a story claiming 7 million American children live in a home with at least “one unlocked and loaded firearm.”

He wrote:

“Part of me says these are 7 million future catastrophes that can’t be avoided because we live in a country with an unrelenting firearms fetish.”

I should point out that a “fetish” is defined as “a sexual fixation on an object, body part, or situation that is not typically considered erotic. It also broadly refers to any object, idea, or behavior that is the focus of an irrational, obsessive, or unquestioning devotion.”

Perhaps he should have used another word.

As to his data, his JAMA numbers are not accurate. A story by NPR that Burgess linked to admits it was the authors’ estimate.

Besides, many of us grew up in homes with loaded firearms. I have loaded firearms in my home right now. It’s totally safe. It’s not a “future catastrophe.” All it requires is some education and parental involvement. That’s it.

But Burgess is far from done. His anti-gun balderdash gets even deeper.

“A long-running cultural narrative says we should rely almost entirely on ourselves for safety. That would seem to mean having a gun in your house is necessary to stop bad guys from hurting you and your family, a message reinforced by the gun lobby and our entertainment industry,” he wrote.

Note: he hyperlinked “entertainment industry” to the 2013 film, “The Purge.” I cannot reckon why.

As to his comment, I do not know what crime is like in Asheville. Perhaps there aren’t any home invasions, burglaries or murders. Perhaps the criminals are a decent sort, who leave when so ordered and apologize, bow and lock your front door as they back out quietly.

Even if that’s the case in Asheville, I can guarantee that for the rest of our country, having access to a firearm is the only sure way to stop a committed bad guy from hurting you and your family—the only way.

I’m not sure if “The Purge” movie reinforced this, but I know the “gun lobby” sure does, for one reason. It’s 100% true.

Guns save lives.

Anyone who says otherwise is an idiot, a liar, or both.

Lee Williams is chief editor of the Second Amendment Foundation's Investigative Journalism Project. Republished with permission.

BFA again testifies in favor of SB 214 to remove suppressors from ordnance definition

SHummel — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

On Tuesday, June 9, 2026, Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) testified before the House Public Safety Committee in favor of Senate Bill 214.

The bill, sponsored by Sen. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield), proposes revisions to the Ohio Revised Code, eliminating suppressors and mufflers from the definition of dangerous ordnance and removing language that mandates suppressor registration under the National Firearms Act of 1934.

This was the committee's second hearing on the bill, which passed the Senate in March.

Here is the testimony of Jim Samuel, BFA's legislative affairs director:

Chair Abrams, Vice Chair Miller, Ranking Member Thomas and members of the House Public Safety Committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify as a proponent of Senate Bill 214.

My name is Jim Samuel, and I serve as Legislative Affairs Director for the Buckeye Firearms Association. BFA is Ohio’s leading organization dedicated to protecting and advancing the Second Amendment rights of Ohio’s 4 million gun owners. Our organization has consistently advocated for legal, safe, and responsible firearm use for self-defense, hunting, competition, and recreation. And that includes the use of suppressors as a hearing safety device.

The history of suppressor over-regulation dates back to the Prohibition era. Hollywood popularized the myth that every gangster used a suppressor and that they were a common tool for spies and assassins. However, in the real world, suppressors are rarely used in crime. And they do not “silence” a gun. They simply reduce the noise to a safer decibel level.

Anyone who shoots or hunts frequently has likely experienced some degree of hearing loss. And noise complaints frequently plague outdoor ranges. This is why suppressors can be a useful tool to promote hearing safety and reduce noise pollution.

In many European countries, where firearm laws are much stricter than in the US, suppressors are widely encouraged as standard, respectful hunting equipment. In countries such as Norway, Finland, and Poland, suppressors are treated similarly to accessories or ammunition. Gun owners can purchase them over-the-counter with zero additional paperwork.

Senate Bill 214 is a straightforward yet important piece of legislation that simply removes suppressors and mufflers from a list of dangerous ordinances in the code that includes grenades, rocket launchers and artillery pieces. It seeks to treat suppressors as the safety accessory they are.

We want to thank Senator Koehler for sponsoring the bill, as well as his 16 fellow senate cosponsors. The bill was unanimously reported out of senate committee and passed the Senate with another bipartisan vote of 31-1.

Thank you Madam Chair for the opportunity to testify. I would be happy to answer questions from you or other members of the committee.

Ohio 2026 spring wild turkey hunting season results

SHummel — Tue, 09 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

From Ohio Department of Natural Resources

Ohio’s wild turkey hunters bagged 15,887 birds during the spring 2026 season, which concluded on Sunday, May 31, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. The total statewide harvest represents all turkeys checked from April 18 to May 31, including the 2,058 birds taken during youth-only hunting.

During the 2025 spring season, the total number of turkeys checked was 16,014. The three-year average for the spring season (2023, 2024, and 2025) is 15,743.

Ohio’s spring turkey season is split into two zones to align with the timing of turkey nesting in those regions. The northeast zone includes Ashtabula, Cuyahoga, Geauga, Lake, and Trumbull counties. In 2026, 1,216 turkeys were checked in the northeast zone, while 14,671 birds were taken in the 83 counties that comprise the south zone.

The top 10 counties for wild turkeys taken in the 2026 season were as follows:

Ashtabula (500)
Tuscarawas (433)
Belmont (418)
Monroe (413)
Trumbull (410)
Highland (407)
Adams (401)
Gallia (397)
Guernsey (383)
Brown (358)

The season bag limit was one bearded bird. Adult male turkeys made up 85% of the final count with 13,441 birds taken. Following strong brood production summers in the last few years, biologists expected a high proportion of adult birds in the total harvest this spring. Hunters checked 2,285 juvenile male turkeys in 2026, representing 14% of birds taken. Turkey hunters also checked 161 bearded female turkeys (hens) this season.

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Shotguns accounted for 98% of the total harvest (15,631 birds) this spring. The remaining 256 birds were taken with archery equipment.

The ODNR Division of Wildlife issued 52,799 spring turkey permits for use during the spring 2026 hunting season. In 2025, the agency issued 52,693 spring turkey permits.

Wild turkey research

The Division of Wildlife is studying the nesting and survival of hen turkeys in eastern and southwestern Ohio in collaboration with researchers at The Ohio State University. Similar research is being conducted in Maryland, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania. Since 2023, Ohio’s biologists have affixed GPS transmitters to 319 hens and gathered information on their movement, survival, and nest activity timing.

Division of Wildlife staff are also conducting research on the gobbling frequency and timing of male wild turkeys. Biologists placed audio recorders in eastern Ohio in 2024 and 2025 to record wild turkey gobbles and learn more about factors that influence gobbling. Preliminary results show that daily gobbling activity varies considerably throughout the spring. When compared with hen GPS data, periods of peak gobbling align closely with periods of peak nest initiation and egg laying.

Information gathered in these turkey research projects will influence wild turkey management decisions in the coming years. This helps the Division of Wildlife structure science-based turkey hunting regulations, ensuring wild turkey success across Ohio for many more years.

The Division of Wildlife began an extensive program in the 1950s to restore wild turkeys to the Buckeye State after they were extirpated in the early 1900s. Ohio’s first modern-day wild turkey hunting season opened in 1966 in nine counties, and hunters checked 12 birds. The total number of turkeys harvested topped 1,000 for the first time in 1984. Turkey hunting was opened statewide in 2000. The highest Ohio wild turkey harvest was in 2001, when hunters checked 26,156 birds.

AOC's accidental revelation: It's the criminal, not the firearm

SHummel — Mon, 08 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

by Matt Manda

University of Chicago Institute of Politics senior fellow and notable chief strategist for former President Barack Obama, David Axelrod, had the opportunity to speak with U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-New York) recently. During their one-and-a-half-hour conversation, Rep. Ocasio-Cortez — a staunch proponent of strict gun control — made a great point about lawful gun ownership that she probably didn’t realize she was making.

Axelrod asked her about litmus tests from special interest groups on elected officials, and he referenced a conversation he had with U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont) years prior about gun control. The senator told Axelrod he would not vote the same way on gun control that he does now if he instead represented his hometown of Brooklyn, New York, in Congress.

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Ocasio-Cortez, in a long statement answering the question, agreed. “It’s true, the way guns show up in rural Vermont is very different than in Brownsville, Brooklyn,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “You should vote differently in those communities.”

The remarks sparked immediate backlash in online discussions, as some commenters argued she was making racist remarks. However — as the firearms industry believes — the Second Amendment is for every law-abiding American, no matter your background, race or religion. And while the point of her remarks was about the calculus Members of Congress must consider when casting votes on public policy, the example she brought up about firearms and gun ownership are noteworthy.

As it turns out, Ocasio-Cortez — likely without realizing it — wasn’t making the point she thought she was making.

Quite the contrast

Ocasio-Cortez has spent the past seven years supporting all measure of federal gun control proposals to come through Washington, including a failed attempt to impose a federal ban on modern sporting rifles (MSRs), that would restrict the rights of law-abiding Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights. She has even criticized the lawful and highly regulated firearm industry, which provides Americans the ability and means of exercising their constitutional rights, suggesting the industry is “all about blood money.” There are too many examples to list, but to her point to Axelrod — those are the votes her district expected, even if the results of those gun control policies don’t result in truly safer communities.

In fact, while speaking in Chicago with Axelrod, Ocasio-Cortez’s comments seem to nuke all the gun control arguments she’s ever made. Her words make the point about the inefficacy of passing stricter and stricter gun control laws much better than any gun rights organization ever could.

Vermont, a state that receives a score of only 43 out of 100 from the billionaire Michael Bloomberg-funded gun control group Everytown for Gun Safety for how “strong” its gun control laws are, also has one of the highest per-capita rankings of gun ownership in the country. At 50.5 firearms owned per 100 people, Vermont ranks No. 15 out of 50 states in gun ownership per capita. The culture and history of firearm ownership in the Green Mountain State are centuries long and today are still robust — across all ages and even across political party lines. Vermonters hunt, target shoot, and keep firearms for self-defense. And yet homicides committed with firearms are uncommon there.

According to the Vermont Attorney General’s website, Vermont experienced 25 total homicide deaths in 2024, only 15 of which involved a firearm. In addition, like most everywhere else in the country, the majority of Vermont’s deaths involving a firearm were the result of suicide.

Meanwhile in New York

For its close neighbor — more appropriately farther south in Brooklyn — gun ownership and gun control laws couldn’t be any more opposite.

Unsurprisingly, Everytown ranks New York No. 4 in the country for “strength of gun laws,” though Gov. Kathy Hochul loves to brag the state is No. 1, rivaling California. The strict gun control-loving officials in Albany, as well as a string of governors going back 20 years, have restricted Second Amendment rights and gun ownership so much, it’s near the bottom of the barrel with regards to respect for gun ownership.

The same rankings that place Vermont at 15 put New York at 46, meaning for every 100 New Yorkers, only 19.2 of them own a firearm. How does that translate to public safety? According to New York City police data, there were 688 shooting incidents in New York City alone in 2025. Incredibly, that made it “the safest year on record,” according to police. That is in the state’s largest city, which also has stricter gun control laws than in counties and cities located in other regions of the state.

Why it matters

It’s the person holding the gun — not the gun. This article doesn’t mention race or ethnicity or religion at all because that’s the point. Firearms do not shoot on their own. A firearm’s trigger is pulled by someone.

When criminals — who are already comfortable breaking the law — are often allowed back out of jail time and time again, as they are in Manhattan and New York City, they will most likely commit crimes again and again. They will steal firearms. They will illegally sell them. They will illegally and dangerously use them.

The firearms are the same. Vermont has semi-automatic handguns, as does New York City. Vermont doesn’t restrict the sale of MSRs, the semi-automatic centerfire rifles that are the most commonly owned rifle in America. That’s not true of New York. But the metal and polymer is all the same, and in Vermont, these firearms are much more prevalent and common, according to the data.

Ocasio-Cortez made an excellent point in her answer in Chicago. It just wasn’t the point she intended to make. If she truly cared about safer communities and Brooklyn neighborhoods, maybe her voting record should be much different.

Republished with permission from NSSF.

Department of Interior announces major expansions for hunters, anglers

SHummel — Fri, 05 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

In late May, the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) announced it will be issuing a proposed rule that would result in the largest expansion of hunting and sport fishing opportunities in agency history.

The proposal opens or expands more than 1,450 hunting and sport fishing opportunities, which will result in 95% of the National Wildlife Refuge Systems to be available for hunting.

Furthermore, the DOI announced it will work with the National Park Service to remove bureaucratic red tape that discourages sportsmen and women from utilizing our nation’s most treasured natural resources.

In case you missed it: Trump taps BFA-backed Ohio Judge Matthew Byrne for federal district court

“American hunters are some of the greatest stewards of our wildlife and national heritage,” said John Commerford, executive director of NRA-ILA. “For years, hunting opportunities have dwindled because of overregulation and demonization of this inherently American tradition. Millions of NRA members and hunters nationwide appreciate that we finally have an administration that recognizes hunting as a vital tool for conservation that should be cherished and encouraged rather than hindered at every step.”

This action is a result of Secretarial Order 3447, which was issued by Secretary of the Interior Doug Burgum earlier this year. This order directed the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the National Park Service, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the Bureau of Indian Affairs to identify and remove unnecessary regulatory barriers and allow access to hunting and fishing wherever practical.

The NRA-ILA applauds President Trump and Secretary Burgum for their continued effort to expand opportunities for sportsmen across the nation.

ATF reform package sends Everytown into full gun control meltdown

SHummel — Thu, 04 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

by Bill Cawthon

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) has proposed nearly three dozen changes to its rules: The shrieks from gun control addicts could drown out a chorus of scorched cats.

Everytown for Gun Safety (aka Control — “every town, every gun”) wasted no time accusing the ATF of selling out to the firearms industry.

Gun writer-turned-quisling Greg Lickenbrock wrote a response to the ATF’s actions in The Smoking Gun, Everytown’s version of the National Enquirer:

The ATF has only released summaries of the rules so far, but like past deregulation efforts by the Trump administration, many will likely put public safety at risk and hamper law enforcement efforts to solve gun crimes and stop traffickers.

(T)he rules are clearly designed to benefit the gun industry, whose surrogates were all in attendance at the press conference announcing the rules — including some representing extreme groups dedicated to undoing all gun laws. Leaders from the American Suppressor Association (ASA), National Rifle Association (NRA), National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), National Association for Gun Rights (NAGR), Second Amendment Foundation (SAF), and Gun Owners of America (GOA) surrounded Robert Cekada, the ATF’s new director, as he signed the rules.

Last time we looked, Gun Owners of America, the NRA, National Association for Gun Rights, and the Second Amendment Foundation weren’t part of the gun industry. There have even been times when the industry and the organizations have been at odds. Lickenbrock apparently is unaware of the reactions to Bill Ruger or to the “Lawsuit Locks” on Smith & Wesson handguns.

On another note: Trump taps BFA-backed Ohio Judge Matthew Byrne for federal district court

Lickenbrock claims the ATF is abdicating its role as the archenemy of the gun industry and gearing up to give gunmakers their best Christmas ever. He was aghast that the ATF reached out to the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) for input on the proposed regulations.

It will probably come as a shock to the folks at Everytown, but regulatory agencies and the industries they regulate are supposed to communicate. They are even supposed to work together—fancy that!

Everytown’s propaganda pros have mad skills when it comes to shaping public opinion. They’ve mastered the art of the big lie; they make monsters virtually out of thin air; and turn tiny numbers into existential threats. Greg Lickenbrock’s article is a prime example of this.

“For example, the ATF estimates that 3.28 million gun buyers would take advantage of one of the agency’s most troubling proposals: allowing FFLs to ship guns directly to a buyer’s door without visiting a brick-and-mortar location, in what is known as a ‘non-over-the-counter’ (NOTC) transaction.”

Ooohh! Scary, huh? Well, if you didn’t know, the ATF is simply expanding an existing regulation, it might be.

Gun-grabbers have a nearly pathological fear of any firearm transfer that hasn’t been blessed by the FBI/NICS. They might become totally unhinged if someone told them 29 states have concealed-carry permits that exempt the holder from background checks.

“The agency has also proposed a new, significantly shorter version of the Form 4473, the decades-old firearm transaction record, that dispenses with several questions used to stop illegal straw purchases and allows a gun dealer to determine if the customer can legally purchase the gun,” Lickenbrock wrote.

The questions supposedly used to stop illegal straw purchases are:

A requirement for the purchaser to use their biological gender in answering Part 1, Section A, Question 6;
An expanded explanation of the status of the federal marijuana prohibition in Question 11.e.

Those are sure to reveal lots and lots of straw purchasers.

Lickenbrock is also concerned about the ATF’s proposed doubling the time a NICS decision remains valid from 30 days to 60 days.“Incredibly, the ATF states that the proposal increases the risk that a prohibited person will obtain a firearm and use it ‘to inflict mass casualties’ when they ‘would have been prevented under the current baseline requirement to renew the background check.’”

Someone should remind Mr. Lickenbrock that a prohibited person with a firearm is still a prohibited person with a firearm. In the event of a glitch in the system, the ATF already has the statutory authority to retrieve the gun.

There’s no way to predict whether or not there will be any mass shootings attributable to the extra 30 days. However, there have been two mass shootings that can be blamed on law enforcement failures to act.

A shooter took possession of a Glock pistol on April 11, 2015, 67 days before he used it to murder nine people at the Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. When the 72-hour NICS deadline for a proceed/deny decision expires, the FFL can opt to transfer the gun. If the NICS examiner later discovers the transfer should have been denied, the FBI sends a retrieval request to the ATF.

Calling this the ‘Charleston Loophole’, gun control addicts demanded almost unlimited time for the NICS to process inquiries. The other mass shooting incident was at the Henry Pratt Company in Aurora, Illinois, in 2019. In that incident, the Illinois State Police dropped the ball. In fact, they dropped enough balls to fill a McDonald’s play pit.

Illinois requires a Firearm Owner’s Identification (FOID) card to purchase and/or possess a firearm. When the ISP revoked a citizen’s FOID card, the agency would send a letter informing the citizen of the action and directing them to turn in any guns they owned.

And that was it. The police never followed up; never verified the guns had been surrendered or disposed of in some other legal manner. The holder of one of those revoked cards used the gun he purchased when his card was still valid to murder five people and take his own life after he lost his job at a valve manufacturing company in Aurora, Illinois.

Lickenbrock’s rant next moves on to the ATF’s rescission of the 2023 “stabilizing brace” rule.

At this point, Lickenbrock’s case abandons any credibility it might have had.

Lickenbrock claimed the rule was, “(F)inalized to stop gun makers from selling easily concealed short-barreled AR-15s, AK-47s, and other assault weapons as ‘pistols’ — instead of short-barreled rifles that must be registered under the National Firearms Act (NFA) — when fitted with arm braces that can be used like shoulder stocks. While brace-equipped AR-15s have been used in at least five mass shootings, the ATF says that rescinding its prior rule would allow “small entities” to “experience an increase in revenue due to weapons with brace configuration no longer undergoing NFA requirements such as enhanced background checks.”

If that isn’t a lie, it’s profound ignorance with malice aforethought.

The ATF isn’t making the change to help the gunmakers. They’re making the changes because the previous version was thrown out by the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals. Turns out the ATF violated federal law when it created the new rule.

“Additionally, the ATF is proposing to simplify the process for spouses to apply for NFA weapons like silencers, short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and other concealable firearms; cross state lines with them, and notify local law enforcement of one’s intent to make or purchase them. Taken together, these proposals may make NFA weapons more appealing to customers and easier to own, again benefiting the gun industry.”

The National Firearms Act of 1934 was passed as a tax measure. This was affirmed by the Supreme Court in Sonzinsky v. United States and United States v. Miller.

Last year, Congress reduced the tax on short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and suppressors to zero. There’s a question about all the compliance hoops and hurdles. They were designed to confirm the tax was paid. With no tax being due, can they be justified?

I doubt any of this is going to go the way Everytown wants. Good.

Lickenbrock is angered that the ATF is removing bump stocks from its definition of ‘machine gun’. Apparently, he hasn’t heard the Supreme Court tossed the bump stock ban in June 2024. The court found the ATF exceeded its authority.

Actually, he seems to be more upset by the ATF’s failure to mention the 2017 Las Vegas killer. It doesn’t matter that the Las Vegas massacre was one of the most meticulously planned crimes in American history; it doesn’t matter that the murderer controlled the scene, including law enforcement agencies’ abilities to effectively respond.

Nope, all that matters is that the perpetrator used evil black rifles with bump stocks.

This implies that, had he used Molotov cocktails and pipe bombs, Greg Lickenbrock and the rest of the gang over at The Smoking Mess might have been okay with it.

The ATF is trying to repair the damage done by four years of the Biden holy war on guns, gunmakers, and the American people. It’s going to take some time and some persistence. However, if we stay the course and resist Everytown’s ‘commonsense tyranny’, the fight will be worth it.

Republished with permission from AmmoLand.

NRA lawsuit challenges post office carry ban

SHummel — Wed, 03 Jun 2026 10:00:00 +0000

The National Rifle Association, Gun Owners of America, Gun Owners Foundation, and three NRA members on May 26 filed a lawsuit challenging the federal prohibition on carrying firearms at U.S. post offices.

Federal law prohibits knowingly possessing a firearm in a federal facility — including a U.S. post office — as well as carrying firearms on postal property. Violations are punishable by a fine, up to one year of imprisonment, or both.

Sign up: BFA-sponsored Houses of Worship Defensive Firearms Training

The complaint argues that the post office carry ban violates the Second Amendment under the Supreme Court’s text-and-history test set forth in NYSRPA v. Bruen. In Bruen, the court held that the Second Amendment protects the right to carry handguns publicly for self-defense and that firearm regulations must be consistent with the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation.

The lawsuit notes that although the first post office was established in 1639 and the Post Office Department was established by the Second Continental Congress in 1775, firearms were not prohibited in post offices until 1972. The complaint therefore contends that the post office carry ban contradicts the nation’s historical tradition of firearm regulation and is thus unconstitutional.

The case, Hornbake v. Blanche, was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Pennsylvania.

3 BFA-backed gun bills moving forward this week

SHummel — Tue, 02 Jun 2026 09:00:00 +0000

by Joe D. "Buck" Ruth

Three Senate bills supported by Buckeye Firearms Association are progressing through the Ohio General Assembly this week. All three have passed the Ohio Senate and are scheduled for hearings in Ohio House of Representatives committees.

Senate Bill 214

This bill, which passed the Senate in March, will get its first hearing in the House Public Safety Committee at 3:30 p.m. today, June 2.

Currently, the NFA tax stamp on suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns has been reduced from $200 to $0, effective Jan. 1. However, both remain subject to the NFA.

Senate Bill 273

The Senate passed the bill unanimously as Sub. SB 273 in November. It is scheduled for its fourth hearing in the House Public Safety Committee at 3:30 p.m. today, June 2. BFA's Sexton submitted testimony Oct. 15 and testified in person Oct. 29. BFA's Jim Samuel testified in favor March 3.

The bill, known as the "Keep Them Safe Act," is also sponsored by Koehler and would provide guidelines and civil immunity for the voluntary storage of firearms by retailers and law enforcement agencies as a service to citizens.

Senate Bill 278

The Senate in April voted 24-9 along party lines to pass SB 278. Its first hearing is scheduled for the House Judiciary Committee at 9 a.m. Wednesday, June 3.

SB 278, sponsored by Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), effectively puts teeth into Ohio's preemption laws (ORC 9.68) by allowing residents to sue cities for punitive and/or monetary damages if they try to ignore the state's preemption laws on guns. Jim Samuel, BFA's legislative affairs director, testified in favor of SB 278 in February.

All meetings will be broadcast live on the Ohio Legislature homepage.

To watch the House Public Safety Committee video afterward, go to the committee's webpage.

To watch the House Judiciary Committee video afterward, go that committee's webpage.

Joe D. "Buck" Ruth, a pen name for Scott Hummel, is a longtime small-game hunter and gun owner who spent nearly three decades in the news industry. He is the website and social-media manager for Buckeye Firearms Association.