Well over two-hundred people gathered in Liberty Township, Ohio Saturday afternoon to celebrate Ohioans For Concealed Carry's seventh annual Party In The Park and Family Picnic.

The event began with a great catered hamburger, hot dog, and chicken lunch provided by Casual Catering By Dave, and speakers taking the podium just forty-five minutes later.  Derek DeBrosse, OFCC's General Council, recapped litigation efforts that the organization is involved in and where we anticipate those endeavors to progress.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray followed DeBrosse and after being tapped on the shoulder by a few of our members he addressed open carry and the fact that law enforcement in Ohio technically does not report to him and his office.

In his race against Republican Mike Dewine, Ohioans For Concealed Carry announced it's endorsement of Richard Cordray for re-election following his speech based on the history of Mr. Cordray and Mr. Dewine in their respective elected terms in office.

Senator Jon Husted, endorsed by Ohioans For Concealed Carry for Secretary of State since before the primary election, followed AG Cordray and came back to the podium later to address the restaurant carry legislation SB239.  He highlighted how quickly the Ohio Senate moved the bill from committee, to the floor, and to the Ohio House where it has sat idle under the control of Speaker Armond Budish.

Delaware County Prosecutor Dave Yost, also endorsed by OFCC on Saturday, took his time at the podium to explain how his opponent in the race for Auditor has a history of voting for anti-gun resolutions during his stint in Cincinnati City Council.

Although Governor Ted Strickland could not attend the event due to a conflicting obligation in another part of the State of Ohio, his brother Roger Strickland affirmed the fact that Strickland is the best choice for gun owners.  Strickland won the endorsement of Ohioans For Concealed Carry Saturday based on his past performance both in Ohio and in comparison of key votes during his and John Kasich's time in Congress.

Representative Joe Uecker, who has been working with Ohioans For Concealed Carry for the past few weeks, brought the crowd to rousing applause when he announced that employer parking lot legislation Ohioans For Concealed Carry asked him to draft will be introduced in the Ohio House within a week's time.

Mike Wilson, a candidate for Ohio's 28th House District, and the founder of the Cincinnati Tea Party, also addressed the crowd.

Ms. Nikki Goeser, who has come to Ohio from Tennessee on four occasions for Ohioans For Concealed Carry, was our keynote speaker.

Ms. Goeser told the tragic story of her husband's murder in such a captivating way that many have reported that their uninterested spouses or girlfriends were engrossed in her story.  During her nearly one hour speech Nikki explained the story in a manner she has never done before, concluding with how her life has changed since the shooting, including national and international media interviews she'd been invited to.

Shortly before Ms. Goeser began to speak the weather turned to a light rainfall, and as she delved deeper into the horrific story of her husband's murder the intensity of the winds eerily increased, and by the time she was done speaking of how she has moved through the process of grieving the weather became calm once again.

She ended her address with an serious emphasis on everyone in the audience seeking out and obtaining continual advanced tactical training.  As a student of the Tactical Defense Institute's 5th level Handgun course I wholeheartedly agree with her.

Immediately following Nikki Goeser's speech I had the distinct pleasure of presenting her with the 2010 Tony Gordon Memorial Award not because of her tragedy, but because of everything she has done for the cause of reforming gun rights in Ohio this year alone.  It is absolutely astounding how Ms. Goeser puts her personal life on hold and travels to Ohio to help us reform our laws, and on behalf of Ohioans For Concealed Carry we thank her for everything she has done for the cause everywhere she has traveled.

Following a brief plea for more people to get involved in the cause the annual door prize drawing began, and thanks to a generous contribution from Cobra Pistols we were able to give away two Cobra .380 pistols.   Thanks to a generous donation from local gun store GunEnvy.com we were able to give away a similar Taurus .380 pistol as well.  GunEnvy.Com went even further by taking possession of the Cobra pistols and conducting the FFL transfer of the firearms on the spot at the picnic this year.

In a rare stroke of random luck a husband and wife holding tickets just a single digit apart were drawn and went home with a Taurus and Cobra pistol that day.

In the end and despite the weather the event was a memorable occasion and a great opportunity for many people to meet candidates they're hopefully going to help us vote into office this fall.

If you're interested in volunteering and getting more involved in Ohioans For Concealed Carry, or if you'd like to make a prize donation for 2011, please use the Contact Us link at the top of this website.