If you want to be an effective gun rights activist, or if you simply want to be a more knowledgeable gun owner, it is important for you to understand the issues and ideas related to guns in our society.

This guide has been created as an educational resource. Go lesson by lesson at your own pace.

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Lesson #1: Concealed Carry Is Right for OHIO

There are many myths being propagated by the anti-gun and anti-self-defense culture. These myths are generally spread unchecked in the media and by many politicians. They are hereby debunked: Prominent Myths Related to Self-Defense and Concealed Carry Reform (adapted from talk.politics.guns "Official Pro-Gun FAQ").Lesson #1 (Extra Credit): Another excellent study on Ohio concealed carry has been prepared for University of Akron Professor of Sociology Dr. Brian Pendleton (PhD), and can be accessed here: 'Ohio Concealed Carry'

Lesson #2: Citizens CAN Use Guns Competently - and Law Enforcement agrees

An excellent thesis was published by Clayton E. Cramer & David B. Kopel in their book "SHALL ISSUE: THE NEW WAVE OF CONCEALED HANDGUN PERMIT LAWS" (1994). This chapter handily refutes claims by Gov. Taft and the Ohio Highway Patrol, and can be accessed here: 'Can Citizens Use Guns Competently?'

Lesson #3: Know Thy Enemy: A Psychiatrist's Examination of the Anti-Gun Mentality

Dr. Sarah Thompson, is Executive Director of Utah Gun Owners Alliance, and also writes The Righter, a monthly column on individual rights. She is also a psychiatrist, and has published an excellent essay examining the anti-gun mentality from a psychiatric perspective. Not only does she explain how such people think, but she gives excellent advise on how to better communicate with them. Dr. Thompson's piece can be accessed here: 'Raging Against Self-Defense'

Lesson #4: The Right to Bear Arms in Ohio: A Fundamental Right That Is Neither Fundamental Nor Much of a Right

(Klein v. Leis)

Scott B. Johnson's examination of the Ohio Supreme Court's ruling on Klein v. Leis concludes with these words:

"The Ohio Supreme Court has done an amazingly risky thing. While it may appear to those justices in the majority that it is politically correct to permit the legislature to limit what the court itself calls a fundamental right, it is not constitutionally correct to do so. The court must carefully consider the precedent it has set. If statutes regulating fundamental rights need only pass rational basis scrutiny, there is no limit to the abuse that government can inflict on the citizen or the rights that can be whittled away, chip by chip."

Johnson's law review can be downloaded in a Word document by clicking here.

Lesson #5: As Concealed Handgun Licenses proliferate, issues arise

John Ray Habb examines some of the legal briar patches that CHL holders must make themselves aware of. Following is his report, Carry-At-Your-Own-Risk.

Lesson #6: Interpersonal Communications and Officer Survival

Although composed to train law enforcement officers, the following document is also an excellent study for citizens interested in the art of detecting danger signs by reading body language and understanding its meaning: The Boyd Cycle.

Lesson #7: Ethics from the Barrel of a Gun: What Bearing Weapons Teaches About the Good Life

The bearing of arms is the essential medium through which the individual asserts both his social power and his participation in politics as a responsible moral being... (Historian J.G.A. Pocock, describing the beliefs of the founders of the U.S.)

There is nothing like having your finger on the trigger of a gun to reveal who you really are. Life or death in one twitch is the ultimate decision, with the ultimate price for carelessness or bad choices: Ethics from the Barrel of a Gun.

Lesson #8: Who Wins, Who Actually Loses, When Firearms Owners And Businesses Are Banned From the Premises?

Recently, one major U.S. bank toyed with the idea of closing all its accounts with customers who owned firearms-related businesses. Another chain of banks, and several businesses, established policies which banned concealed carry of firearms on their premises. Other businesses have adopted spokespersons or advertising actors who have openly spoken out against firearms owners. Some businesses have allowed fringe groups to put up kiosks or pamphlets on their premises opposing gun ownership. Many of these quickly withdrew or denied the policies in the face of strong and immediate pressure from firearms owners.

Who gains by such ban policies, and who loses? Are these policies effective in any way? Do these business policies prevent any firearms-related crime? Or do they affect only law-abiding customers? This excellent piece, published by T. Dave Gowan, Ph.D., can be accessed here: Who Wins, Who Actually Loses, When Firearms Owners And Businesses Are Banned From the Premises?

Lesson #9: Concealed-carry in a post office may lead to rude awakening

There is considerable confusion over whether an Ohio Concealed Handgun Licensee (CHL) can carry a concealed firearm at the post office. This confusion mostly centers around the wording on the signs posted at the post office.Attorney Ken Hanson has this to say of his examination of this issue:"I do not want to be right about the answer to this question, because I see no problem with a CHL carrying in a post office. However, I think some of the information/discussion going on in forums has the potential to expose the Ohio CHL to a rude awakening."

Hanson's piece can be accessed here: Concealed-carry in a post office may lead to rude awakening.

Lesson #10: 2004 Dept. of Justice Memorandum on The Second Amendment

From: NRA-ILA: The Second Amendment

On December 17, 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice published an exhaustive Second Amendment memorandum. It concludes without reservation that "the Second Amendment secures a personal right of individuals, not a collective right that may only be invoked by a State or a quasi-collective right restricted to those persons who serve in organized militia units."

Many people have heard about this definitive analysis, but probably few have read the actual report. It's exhaustive and convincing. For hard core Second Amendment supporters, it's a must read. This is an historic document that will influence the interpretation of the Second Amendment for decades to come.

MEMORANDUM OPINION FOR THE ATTORNEY GENERAL: The Second Amendment secures a right of individuals generally, not a right of States or a right restricted to persons serving in militias. Follow this link to access the full paper.

Lesson #11: What Business Owners Need to Know About CCW

After failing to scare business lobbyists into the fight in 2003, and after losing in the legislative arena, gun ban lobbyists are now hoping to convince business owners to discriminate against employees and customers who choose to obtain a concealed handgun license (CHL) for self-protection.

As was the case throughout the legislative debate on this issue, we are again tasked with answering baseless warnings about issues that have simply not arisen in the 36 states which have laws similar to Ohio's.

Follow this link to get everything you will need to educate businesses in your area!

Lesson #12: Become 500 times more powerful politically

The Most Powerful Office in the World is Not the Presidency of the United States!!

I admit it. The title of this essay is a little misleading. George W. Bush is the most powerful man in the world, so technically, the U.S. Presidency is the "Most Powerful Office in the World." But what if I told you there is another public office that (ultimately) chooses who will be President plus virtually every other elected official in the U. S.? If that were true, wouldn't that office (ultimately) be the "Most Powerful Office in the World?"

Follow this link to learn more!

Lesson #13: GunFacts Download

Proven facts to help you destroy any gun control argument!

Gun Facts is the essential reference for debunking common myths about guns, crime, and the Second Amendment. This free, 80-page e-book presents the most common gun myths along with the facts that prove them false. Gun Facts gives you the ammunition you need to win debates, write letters to editors, email your representatives, and give statements to the media.

Is is divided into chapters based on gun control topics (assault weapons, ballistic finger printing, firearm availability, etc.), so finding information is quick and easy. When a neighbor, journalist, or politician repeats one of these myths, you can look it up in seconds and debunk it with the facts.

(A Special Thanks to Guy Smith for allowing us to offer you this valuable download.)

Download this remarkable reference now and you will get
• 92 anti-gun myths organized into 16 topics for quick reference!
• Hundreds of concise facts to defeat virtually every anti-gun talking point!
• Specific references to source material to make research easy!
• Full-color charts and graphs to illustrate key statistics and trends!
• Plus, an authoritative summary of court decisions, statements of famous gun grabbers and the facts that prove them wrong, dozens of inspiring of pro-gun quotes, and much more!

Click here to get the download!

Lesson #14: The Right to Keep and Bear . . . What?

The Second Amendment Definition of "Arms"

by Alo Konsen, http://www.brainshavings.com

Everyone knows that rifles, pistols, and shotguns are "arms," but what about other weapons like clubs, knives, swords, artillery, bombs, missiles, or weapons of mass destruction? Although this question sounds silly at first, Larry Arnn of the Claremont Institute once remarked that if the courts interpreted the Second Amendment as they do the First Amendment, we would all have the right to own nuclear weapons. Some scholars think this kind of reading of the Second Amendment means that "individuals may keep and bear . . . whatever 'arms' they desire." So does our Constitution recognize your neighbor's right to park a brand new M-1 Abrams main battle tank in his driveway? Should we permit gun shops to hold tent sales offering great low prices on military-grade flamethrowers and nerve-gas-tipped artillery shells? Must the U.S. Government allow you to carry a "suitcase nuke" to avoid violating your fundamental Constitutional rights, even if you might trip while carrying it and level a city block?

Part I of this article summarizes the recent Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals decision that acts as the point of departure for this journey into the "what-ifs" of the right to keep and bear arms. Part II looks at the decision's inconclusive treatment of what "arms" means, and explains why the "textualism" school of constitutional interpretation should control the search for the meaning of "arms," instead of the "living document" or "framer's intent" schools. Part III explains what the Founders and their informed contemporaries understood "arms" to mean in their day: that the Second Amendment guarantees an individual's right to keep and bear any and all weapons, no matter how destructive. Part IV brings that definition forward to modern times and identifies the unacceptable social risks posed by private citizens' possession and use of today's most powerful weapons. Part V makes some tentative and preliminary suggestions for a Twenty-Eighth Amendment limiting individual access to excessively destructive weapons that threaten society, while preserving the common-sense meaning of the individual right protected by the text of the Second Amendment.

Lesson #15: Ohio CHL-holders acting in self-defense

There was a good deal of acrimony over the need for Ohio's Concealed Handgun Licensure law, and the General Assembly was accused of knuckling under to a vocal micro-minority. As the establishment media and the gun ban crowd told it, no one needed/wanted this law. However, since passage of the law in 2004, almost 87,000 law-abiding citizens have chosen to exercise their Constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense.

We will defer to the anti-gun industry to produce their examples of someone obtaining a license to go on a crime spree, or committing a crime of passion due to having a firearm readily at hand, as they predicted, and instead concentrate on the known examples of a CHL-holder acting in self-defense.

Buckeye Firearms Association has compiled a list of the known incidences of Ohio CHL-holders defending their own lives or the lives of others. It is not our intent to re-open old wounds or to gain from these tragedies. However, it is critical that the public understand how well this law is working.

Click here to access the list of Ohio CHL-holders acting in self-defense.

Lesson #16: U.S. Bureau of Justice - Firearm Injury from Crime

Conclusion: "Firearm-related crime and resulting injury is a relatively rare event"

Click here to access the report in .pdf format.

Lesson #17: Modern Christian Pacifist Philosophy

This article, by Dave Kopel, examines the strengths and weaknesses of modern pacifist religious philosophy. The Article suggests that some intellectual arguments for pacifism are logically solid (once certain premises are granted), while others have serious flaws. The
article discusses five influential philosophical advocates of non-violence Thomas Merton, Stanley Hauerwas, Leo Tolstoy, Tony Campolo, and John Howard Yoder. In addition, the Article examines three real-world cases where the practice of non-violence was put
into action: the Danish rescue of the Jews during WW II, the American Civil Rights movement in the South in the 1960s, and the invasion of the Chatham Islands—the home of the pacifist Moriori tribes.

Click here to access the report in .pdf format.

Lesson #18: A Nation of Cowards

By Jeffrey R. Snyder

Our society has reached a pinnacle of self-expression and respect for individuality rare or unmatched in history. Our entire popular culture -- from fashion magazines to the cinema -- positively screams the matchless worth of the individual, and glories in eccentricity, nonconformity, independent judgment, and self determination. This enthusiasm is reflected in the prevalent notion that helping someone entails increasing that person's "self-esteem"; that if a person properly values himself, he will naturally be a happy, productive, and, in some inexplicable fashion, responsible member of society.

And yet, while people are encouraged to revel in their individuality and incalculable self-worth, the media and the law enforcement establishment continually advise us that, when confronted with the threat of lethal violence, we should not resist, but simply give the attacker what he wants. If the crime under consideration is rape, there is some notable waffling on this point, and the discussion quickly moves to how the woman can change her behavior to minimize the risk of rape, and the various ridiculous, non-lethal weapons she may acceptably carry, such as whistles, keys, mace or, that weapon which really sends shivers down a rapist's spine, the portable cellular phone.

Now how can this be? How can a person who values himself so highly calmly accept the indignity of a criminal assault? How can one who believes that the essence of his dignity lies in his self-determination passively accept the forcible deprivation of that self-determination? How can he, quietly, with great dignity and poise, simply hand over the goods?

Click here to access "A Nation of Cowards".

Lesson #19: Lt. Col Dave Grossman's Bullet-Proofing the Mind - A MUST for every concealed-carrier

By Chad D. Baus

The story of concealed handgun license-holder Jeanne Assam's brave actions to stop a murderous rampage killer in Colorado Springs, Colorado's New Life Church won't soon be forgotten.

But most Americans are totally unaware of what happened with the two other concealed handgun license-holders who confronted the killer that day.

The complete details about incident brings to mind something that I believe every concealed handgun license-holder needs to consider:

It is every bit as important to spend time and money getting training for the mental aspects of defending oneself in a deadly force encounter as it is to spend time and money on preparing for the physical aspects (i.e. obtaining the right equipment and learning how to use it).

Enter Lt. Col Dave Grossman's powerful mindset-oriented seminar, "Bullet-Proofing the Mind."

Click here to access "Lt. Col Dave Grossman's Bullet-Proofing the Mind - A MUST for every concealed-carrier".

CLICK HERE to make a donation and help us fight for your rights.

FREE Newsletter!

Stay in-the-know about gun rights and pro-gun events in Ohio. CLICK HERE to subscribe to our FREE Newsletter. BONUS: Get our exclusive 38-page "Grassroots Action Guide" FREE with your subscription!