UnpublishededitorialbyJanLarsonMcLaughlin

Itistimeforreasonablegunownerstotakebackcontroloftheassociationthatsupposedlyrepresentsthem.
Weasanationarestillmourningonemassshootingwhenthenextoccurs.YettheNRArefusestodiscussany

type
ofguncontrol,anyformofbackgroundchecks,anytypeofstudythatmightleadtosomeanswers.
Instead,whenlegislatorsconsidermeasurestoreducegundeaths,theNRAanditstentaclegroupsassignthem
failinggradesandlabelthemasantigun.Nationalleaders,whotalktoughaboutprotectingourbordersfromthreats,
lastweekvoteddownlegislationthatwouldpreventpeopleonournationsnoflylistsfromlegallybuyingguns.That
seemslikeanobrainer,butsomeofourelectedofficialsaresoscaredofgettingontheNRAsnaughtylistthatthey
wonteventakecommonsensestepsonguncontrol.
Recently,theBuckeyeFirearmsAssociationwentastepfurtherandblastedcriticismatBowlingGreenState
UniversityfacultymemberswhohadwrittentoStateRep.TimBrown,RBowlingGreen,askinghimtonotsupport
legislationallowingconcealedcarryoffirearmsonOhiocollegecampuses.HouseBill48,whichhassincepassedthe
House,allowshiddenloadedweaponstobecarriedoncollegecampuses,schoolsafetyzones,daycarefacilities,
publicareasofairportterminals,policestations,andcertaingovernmentfacilities.Brown,whovotedforthebill,said
itprimarilycleanedupthestatuteofwhereconcealedgunscanlegallybecarriedinOhio.
ThegunassociationgotthelistofBGSUfacultywhowrotetoBrownbyfilingaFreedomofInformationActrequest.
ThegroupspecificallytargetedJamesEvans,ageologyprofessor,forhisemailtoBrowninwhichhecalledtheNRA
aterroristorganization.
TheBuckeyeFirearmsAssociationstatedthedefinitionofterrorismastheunlawfuluseofforceandviolenceagainst
personsorpropertytointimidateorcoerceagovernment,thecivilianpopulation,oranysegmentthereof,in
furtheranceofpoliticalorsocialobjectives.
AsfarasEvansisconcerned,theNRAmeetsthatdefinitionexceptthatintheU.S.,itslegal.
TheBuckeyeFirearmsAssociationwentontopublishthenamesandemailaddressesofBGSUfacultywho
contactedBrownwiththeircomments,plusaphotographofEvans,whohadusedhisprivateemailtosendhis
comments.Theresult,atleastforEvans,wasarushofemailstohimfromtheassociationsmembers,withwording
thathecharacterizedasthreatening.EvansbelievedtheintentwastofrightenBGSUfacultyfromcontactingState
Sen.RandyGardner,RBowlingGreen,sincethelegislationisnowinhandsoftheSenate.
Imnotintimidated,Evanssaid.Otherswerenteither,apparently.
GardnersaidlatelastweekthathisofficehadreceivedemailsfromBGSUfacultyconcernedaboutthelegislation.
TheBuckeyeFirearmsAssociationaccusedBGSUfacultyofviolatingpolicyprohibitingtheiruseofuniversityemail
tocontacttheirlegislators.
However,thereisnopolicyinplacethatprohibitssuchuse.DaveKielmeyer,universityspokesman,saidthatfaculty
andstaffareencouragedtoavoidusingBGSUemailaccountstoadvocatetheirpersonalpositions.Butinresponse
totheaccusationsbythegungroup,theuniversityissuedastatementthatdiscussionsbyacademicsviauniversity
emailorlistservesonsocialissues,particularlythoseaffectingthelearningenvironmentatBGSU,areabsolutely
appropriate.
Thecriticismoffacultyinputseemstobeonemoreeffortbythegunlobbytotakethefocusofftheissueofgun
violence.
Recently,whenthesubjectoffirearmdeathscomesup,thegunindustryshiftsthediscussiontomentalhealthissues
asthetrueproblem.Oftenitsthetwotogether(gunsandmentalillness)thatcreateadeadlycombination,sowhy
nottackleboth?
NofreedomeventhosegrantedintheConstitutioncomeswithoutlimits.Whenenacted,theSecond
AmendmentdidnotmeananyAmericancouldopenlycarryassaultweaponsandnotbestoppeduntiltheystart
shooting.Whentheforefatherspennedwellregulatedmilitia,Idoubttheymeantanyindividualwithagun.Its
importanttonotethattheyincludedthewordregulatedasinsubjecttocontrols.
WhenBGSUsEvansheardlastweekaboutthelatestmassshooting,thisoneinSanBernadino,California,his
thoughtswereagain,Hereisanothertragedy.
Theanswerisnotmoreguns,hesaid.

Wevetriedarmingeverycitizenwhoissoinclined.Ithasntsolvedtheproblem.Soletslookforothersolutions,ones
thatreasonablegunownerscansupport.Butthatwillmeanresponsiblegunownersarefirstgoingtohavetotake
backcontroloftheirnationalorganization,whichseemsmoreconcernedaboutthegunindustrythantheaveragegun
owner.
TheNRAhasnotalwaysbeentheparanoidprythegunfrommycolddeadhandsorganizationthatitisnow.Itwas
formerlyanassociationaimedatservingitsmembershipbyprovidingsafetyclasses,marksmanshiptrainingand
evenguncontrolsupport.Butsomewhereitgothijackedfromitsrealpurposetoitsfanaticalpresence.Itstimefor
reasonablegunownerstosayenoughisenough.