On Wednesday this week, the General Assembly came back to Columbus for the first time since June 10th. Months off, on your dime, and not one gun bill touched the whole time.

So what dragged them back? A 90-day gas tax suspension. And our sources all over the state are telling us the reason it happened so fast is simple: their own polling says they’re about to get their clocks cleaned on November 3rd.

I’m not mad about the gas tax relief. Diesel’s over $6. Gas is way up. People are hurting. What makes me furious is how they did it, and what they refused to do while they were standing right there.

One day. Both chambers. Done.

Here’s what Speaker Matt Huffman and Senate President Rob McColley pulled off in a single day:

And look at the timing. Ninety days gets them comfortably past the election. Then right around the New Year, the tax kicks right back in. It’s not relief for you so much as cover for them.

Remember “respect the process”?

Back on June 10th, the courageous Rep. Jennifer Gross forced a vote on the Freedom to Carry Act. She filed that amendment on time, under the exact House rules every one of these Republicans voted for.

And what did the RINOs say when they voted it down? “She didn’t respect the process.”

Well, now you got to see what they really think of the process. When it’s your gun rights, the rules are sacred. When it’s their reelection, the rules go out the window by lunchtime.

So the next time a state rep tells you he voted against your Second Amendment rights because somebody “didn’t follow the rules,” remember this past Wednesday. Those rules exist to protect politicians, not you.

What they could have done while they were there

The committees were there. The members were there. The votes were there. Passing the Freedom to Carry Act would’ve:

• Wiped out Ohio’s restrictions on suppressors and short-barreled rifles
• Fixed the problem for 18-to-20-year-old adults who can serve in the military but can’t carry a handgun
• Let you carry and transport any firearm you legally own, rifle, shotgun or pistol, under permitless carry

With the federal court ruling on suppressors this summer, and the DOJ declining to fight it, the only thing standing between you and buying a suppressor on a regular 4473 in Ohio is your Republican legislature. That’s it. Nothing else.

And here’s the kicker. It doesn’t cost them a dime. No appropriation. They just have to pass it. Meanwhile these same people found $600 million of your money for the billionaire Haslam family’s new stadium.

Why this should make you furious, too

They’ve told gun owners “after the next election” for years. We had an election in 2024. They promised big. They delivered nothing. It’s been about five years since they passed anything major on guns, and that includes four years of Biden when we needed them most.

Now look at Virginia. Democrats took power and passed roughly two-dozen gun control bills in about sixty days. The Left doesn’t wait for “after the next election.” Ohio Republicans always do.

I sat with Rob McColley in his Senate office and in his district and laid all of this out. He agreed. And then on Wednesday he helped run a gas tax bill through in one day and left your gun rights sitting on the shelf. Again.

Every inch we’ve ever gained came from gun owners like you turning up the heat, never from leadership doing the right thing on their own. Wednesday just proved it one more time.

So be angry. You’ve earned it. But don’t be discouraged. They get their short-term wins.

In the end, we don’t quit, and that’s why we win.

For Freedom,
Chris Dorr
Executive Director
Ohio Gun Owners

P.S. Want to see what your Republican rep is really about? Don’t look at his speeches. Look at how he voted on June 10th. Then look at what he did on Wednesday. And if you REALLY want to know what they’re all about, check out their financial contributors list.