In Tuesday's Canton Repository Columbus Bureau Chief Paul E. Kostyu covered Democrat Gubernatorial candidate Ted Strickland's Monday statements about concealed carry reform, which we covered yesterday.

Strickland, who as a member of Congress was an NRA A rated candidate, took a well-deserved swipe at the Republican Senate leadership for stalling HB347 before leaving for the summer recess.

From Strickland favors tweak of concealed-carry law:

“I’m concerned about violence in society,” Strickland said. “I’m concerned about whether we are going to have safe schools and safe streets. I just come from a different perspective.

“I believe those who choose to misuse firearms for criminal purposes are not going to be constrained by the laws we pass. There is a limit to what government can or should do in terms of interfering with individual decision-making.”

Strickland said he supports putting more police officers in schools or in neighborhoods if that’s what is needed to keep them safe. “That makes a lot more sense,” he said.

Strickland said gun issues are not “central to what we ought to be about as a government,” yet it is an issue that “polarizes people and divides people needlessly.”

On his website Strickland made a very bold statement: "As governor, I would support passage of this bill in its entirety and would sign HB 347 into law the moment it hit my desk." 

The question remains, is this political posturing, or would Strickland truly sign HB347 as written today when Govrernor Bob Taft seems ready to veto it?  Last year Ohioans For Concealed Carry wrote the Strickland campaign electronically and faxed them a copy of our gubernatorial candidate survey, along with every other potential candidate for Governor at the time.

To date the Strickland campaign has never returned our requests, leading us to question Strickland's committment to gun owners and their concerns over concealed carry reform.  It's easy to say you'd support a bill that answers a fraction of the problems with Ohio's concealed carry law -- but what about those issues that HB347 does not address?

Despite his seemingly genuine pro-gun political positions Ted Strickland chose Lee Fisher to run as his Lt. Governor.  In years past other pro-gun organizations have quoted Lee Fisher as saying he has never met a gun control bill he didn't like.  Fisher, a liberal Democrat from Northeast Ohio, is tied to the Handgun Control Incorporated board of directors.  

Ohioans have seen the likes of Northeast Ohio liberals who have worked on behalf of the anti-gun crowd when Eric Fingerhut and Ed Jerse have worked against concealed carry reform relentlessly in the Ohio House and Senate.

Ohioans For Concealed Carry endorsed Ted Strickland and Ken Blackwell in their respective primary races, but we have endorsed Ken Blackwell in the 2006 gubernatorial election.