By Larry S. Moore

The Columbus Dispatch reported recently that the defeat of HB446, the so-called "puppy mill" bill that sought to increase fees and impose new regulations on dog breeders and kennel owners, had ruffled some feathers in the Statehouse.

Although the Dispatch acknowledges that the U.S. Sportsman's Alliance had been long-engaged in the debate, reporter Jim Siegel editorializes in his news article that Sen. Gary Cates and bill sponsor Rep. Shawn Webster were "blindsided" when another gun and hunters' rights group voiced opposition.

"This is not a gun issue, per se. I could not have foreseen last-minute involvement by the NRA in this," Cates said. "I would have been just as surprised if the Chamber of Commerce had weighed in."

Hohenwarter said he was contacted by at least one senator, and by an Ohio-based gun-advocacy group. He also talked to Connie Nolder, a friend and lobbyist for the National Pet Breeders Alliance.

"The breeders and their lobbyist brought the NRA to the table as an attempt to kill the bill," Cates said. "I guess they felt that was the only way they could stop this thing was to pull in some heavyweights."

Recently, I wrote Senator Cates to express my deep concerns regarding his comments. I have decided to share my letter as a means of answering questions for anyone else who may wonder why Buckeye Firearms Association , the USSA and yes, the NRA, had a duck in this hunt.

By Dean Rieck

Five years ago, I was not a gun rights supporter. I was not an NRA member. I didn't even own a gun.

In fact, I bought into the common notion, nurtured by nanny state zealots and perpetuated by the media and Hollywood, that guns are bad. And except for the police and military, only bad people have guns.

Boy was I wrong.

Want to know what changed my mind? I went to see Michael Moore's "Bowling for Columbine." I thought it was funny. But I also thought it was dishonest.

The Ashland Times-Gazette is reporting that National Rifle Association Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre told a crowd at Ashland University last week that historic victories for gun rights occurred in 2008, but the fight for firearm freedoms must continue to preserve the Second Amendment.

Speaking at the Major Issues Lecture Series at the John M. Ashbrook Center for Public Affairs, LaPierre told listeners that despite the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a handgun ban in Washington D.C., which affirmed the individual right to keep and bear arms, there is a battle for firearms ownership in America. He said an "elite ruling class" of anti-gun politicians has "declared war on our individual rights" by trying to restrict Americans' ability to keep and bear arms.

The extremist animal “rights” group, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), is back to its old tricks. Earlier this week, the vehemently anti-hunting and anti-gun group once again called for a nationwide ban on lead ammunition, saying that studies by the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the North Dakota Department of Health prove that game shot with lead ammunition poses a health threat to those who consume it.

In a HSUS press release, Andrew Page, senior director of the Wildlife Abuse Campaign for HSUS said, “Extremist hunters have long contaminated watersheds and habitat, dooming animals to slow and painful deaths. Now that hunters know their actions are directly putting themselves and other people at risk, there are no more excuses to use the ammo that just keeps on killing.”

The typically hysterical rhetoric from HSUS has an all too familiar political ring to it: Alarm the public with fear tactics, label hunters as “extremist,” and push for radical, ill-advised, agenda-driven “solutions.” Their real agenda is actually very transparent: They are against hunting and want to make hunting more difficult and more expensive, with the end goal of eliminating it altogether, by any means possible.

In contrast to this rhetoric, the CDC study should actually dispel fears because it shows that consuming game harvested with traditional ammunition poses no serious health risk.

The study, based on tests of lead levels in the blood of 736 North Dakota residents, found that not one of the study participants had a lead level that might require medical treatment.

In fact, study participants overall had lower levels of lead in the blood than the United States population in general, despite above-average consumption of wild game.

Statement from NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre:

The Obama administration’s employment application proves what NRA has been saying: the Obama administration is anti-firearms ownership and anti-Second Amendment.

"(59) Do you or any members of your immediate family own a gun? If so, provide complete ownership and registration information. Has the registration ever lapsed? Please also describe how and by whom it is used and whether it has been the cause of any personal injuries or property damage."

As this litmus test shows, they have every intention of putting together an administration that is hostile to firearms ownership and to Second Amendment rights.

One of their first official acts is to make a list of gun owners among their own employees. It proves where their hearts are. It shows what their philosophy is. This is more proof that this administration is coming after our freedom and NRA stands ready.

---NRA---

NRA-ILA -- Senator Barack Obama's presidential campaign slogan, "the audacity of hope," should have instead been "the audacity of deceit." After months of telling the American people that he supports the Second Amendment, and only hours after being declared the president-elect, the Obama transition team website announced an agenda taken straight from the anti-gun lobby--four initiatives designed to ban guns and drive law-abiding firearm manufacturers and dealers out of business:

By Jim Irvine

Election Day 2008 is finally here. Today we learn if we worked hard enough over the past few months to enable our candidates to win.

If our candidates win, we can work with them to improve our laws. If not, then we are we need to take a long hard look in the mirror to see where we failed. Then we'll need to work desperately hard to hold on to our recent gains.

Don’t believe the media and the polls. Get out and vote. There will be several elections so close that a recount will be required. Some elections will turn on less that 1% of the vote. In past years we have seen many elections decided by a few hundred votes, some by a couple dozen. It is impossible to predict which races will be this close ahead of time, so it’s important that all gun owners get out and vote. Think of it as drafting your team for next season.

By A.W.R. Hawkins

With the 2008 presidential election upon us, the National Rifle Association is making their case against Barack Obama. They unflinchingly describe him as “the most anti-gun presidential candidate in American history” and have dedicated large sums of money to exposing his anti-gun agenda.

An in-depth look at his record justifies their position. Not only is Obama the economic socialist Rush Limbaugh has said he is, he is also a gun-banning associate of 1960s radicals who cannot wait to take away one of America’s greatest freedoms - the right to keep and bear arms.

By Rick Jones

Seems it all started out when Senator Obama was made the nominee for President by the National Democratic Party. After hearing this I decided I needed to do something to PREVENT Mr. Obama from being elected President.

I’ve already been the assigned National Rifle Association Election Volunteer Coordinator (EVC) for the Ohio 6th Congressional District and I’ve already been involved with the Buckeye Firearms Association for many years...so what more could I do to lose more sleep?

Well...here is my story and what I’ve done and what I’ve helped others to do to help defeat Mr. Obama.