2026 Primary Survey Results
Welcome to the 2026 Ohio Gun Owners Candidate Survey Results page for the Republican Primary election on May 5th!
Below you will find every completed survey that we have received from the candidates running to represent you: in the Governor’s Mansion, at the Statehouse, at the Ohio Republican Party, in Congress, and even at your county Sheriff’s Office.
If a candidate running in your area is not listed here, they did not complete and return their survey to Ohio Gun Owners.
You can sort this data by what office you are interested in, what county you live in, or by a candidate’s name to find the answers to the survey questions that we’ve listed below. You will even see a link to each candidate’s completed survey, so you can see their answers for yourself!
(NOTE: Just because a candidate returned their survey does not necessarily mean they answered 100% pro-gun! Be sure to check the candidate’s responses to each and every question on their survey.)
If you have questions or concerns about the survey data, please contact us at: [email protected].
Questions:
Question 1:
Emergency Risk Protection Order or ‘Red Flag’ laws would allow judges to order the confiscation of a citizen’s firearm(s) based on hearsay evidence, in court hearings where the accused may not even be allowed to testify on their behalf. In practice, these laws create a process to strip away a citizens’ firearms and rights who have not been convicted of any crime with no due process and no ability for them to defend themselves in court of law – as we have seen in states like Indiana, Florida and scores of other states. If elected, would you oppose any Emergency Risk Protection Order or ‘Red Flag’ gun law that violates civil rights, strips gun owners of their Second Amendment freedoms, and does nothing to stop violent criminals?
Question 2
The Ohio Self Defense Act (HB498), which contains provisions that are already on the books in dozens of states, simply provides an enactment clause, establishes a threatened use of force to allow for tactical retreat from a deadly situation, and states that you can’t be civilly sued or criminally charged if a burden of proof cannot be met for self-defense. Ohio removed the duty to retreat during the 132nd General Assembly under HB228, but more work needs to be done to shore up Ohio’s self-defense law. Would you support the Ohio Self Defense Act (HB498), or similar legislation, so that Ohioans may defend themselves with threatened use of force while ensuring that they can’t be bankrupted by expensive or frivolous lawsuits from anti-gun prosecutors?
Question 3
Our Permitless Carry law leaves much to be desired. For example, the law fails to allow lawful Ohioans the ability to conceal and carry any legally possessed weapon for self-defense, rather than only handguns under the current law. By creating a Concealed Weapons License (CWL), it would restore Ohioans’ ability to carry shotguns and rifles in their vehicles, the same way current CHL or ‘qualifying adults’ may carry handguns in their vehicles presently. If elected, would you support the Ohio Freedom to Carry Act (HB495) that strengthens Ohio’s Constitutional Carry law so that gun owners in Ohio have the freedom to carry whatever legal self-defense tool that they choose, and allow Ohio citizens the ability to carry shotguns and rifles in their vehicle?
Question 4
Almost every legislative candidate will say “I support the Second Amendment” but not all will stand firmly against new and invasive forms of gun control, especially when “compromises” are offered. Will you publicly oppose all methods of gun control, including those that the media calls “reasonable,” including but not limited to laws that disallow those with simple misdemeanor convictions from owning and carrying guns, increasing the minimum age of those who carry guns for self-defense, new taxes on ammunition, and new ways to track guns and gun owners?
Question 5
Gun control advocates hype the false idea that certain cosmetic features make some semi-automatic firearms or high-capacity magazines “different” than others. Media hysteria has led to the misperception that semi-automatic firearms are so-called “assault weapons.” All semi-automatic firearms function essentially the same, as do all magazines. The federal ban on “assault weapons” expired in September 2004, and Ohio has eliminated its own restrictions on magazine capacity, but some in Ohio are trying to make these tools illegal here by state law. Do you oppose legislation banning the manufacture, sale or possession of semi-automatic firearms and/or large-capacity magazines, recognizing that these restrictions do nothing to stop crime but only serve to harass gun owners?
Question 6
In 2021, the State of Missouri passed the Second Amendment Protection Act, otherwise known as SAPA, which prohibits the Federal government from ‘commandeering’ state and local law enforcement to enforce federal gun laws. House Bill 382 was introduced in Ohio this General Assembly and has majority support within the House Republican Caucus. Interest in this legislation has exploded across the grassroots gun owner community, and states across America are moving this legislation as well. Would you support the Second Amendment Protection Act, or legislation here in Ohio, which simply prohibits the federal commandeering of state and local law enforcement resources for gun control enforcement and imposes civil penalties on those departments that violate SAPA?
Question 7
Anti-gun organizations, often funded with out of state or non-governmental organization (“NGO”) resources, have been clamoring for legislation to end all private party sales in Ohio – and go so far as to make it a felony for family members to pass firearms down to the next generation without submitting to a federal NCIC check, thereby adding themselves and the firearm to a federal list. Do you oppose Bloomberg’s “Universal Gun Registration” legislation that would ban all private party sales and label offenders as felons for simply passing down a family firearm to a descendant or sharing a firearm with a friend while on a hunting trip?
Question 8
“Mental health” has become a back door for gun control by expanding the criteria for voluntary and involuntary mental health commitments by so-called “medical professionals,” adding more and more people to the NCIC ‘prohibited persons’ list often without due process and full adjudication by a court of law. Once a person’s name is placed on this list, it is virtually impossible to have it removed. Legislation has been introduced multiple times in recent years that would greatly expand the range of people who would be able to add a person’s name to the prohibited person’s list, including “Red Flag” legislation that would strip gun owners of their Second Amendment Rights without due process. Would you oppose all so-called “mental health” legislation that would deny law abiding Ohioans their gun rights without due process through a court of law?
Question 9
Most mass shootings happen in so-called “Gun-Free” areas where law-abiding citizens are forced to disarm, which quite literally has resulted in violent criminals targeting these sites. This prevents otherwise law-abiding citizens from defending themselves, their loved ones and innocent citizens around them. If elected, would you support legislation to eliminate restrictions on law-abiding gun owners from carrying a firearm in certain so-called “Gun-Free” areas, otherwise known as “Criminal Safe Zones?”
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.
Questions:
Question 1
Do you believe the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights is a limitation on government, is an individual right that is protected by the Constitution of the United States of America, and that it is the duty of the United States Congress to protect that right?
Question 2
If elected, would you OPPOSE and vote NO on legislation that restricts law-abiding citizens from privately selling firearms to other law-abiding citizens without possessing a Federal Firearms License or submitting to a state or federal background check? These checks form a de facto national gun registry, which the ATF recently said contains one billion records.
Question 3
If elected, would you OPPOSE and vote NO on legislation that establishes a federal ‘Red Flag Gun Confiscation’ law in America, knowing that these proposals violate Americas long enshrined due process rights by allowing the courts to order the seizure of a gun owner’s firearms, before they’ve been convicted of a crime in a court of law?
Question 4
If elected, would you OPPOSE and vote NO on legislation that makes it illegal for law-abiding citizens to own and possess firearms and firearms accessories such as standard 30-round magazines, firearms made from 80% lowers, suppressors and other accessories that are in common use, making firearms safer to use while not increasing violent crime?
Question 5
If elected, would you OPPOSE and vote NO on legislation like S. 1531/ H.R. 3115 which makes felons out of law-abiding gun owners for the sale, manufacture, importation, or possession of hundreds of different styles of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns or handguns, including the AR-15?
Question 6
If elected, would you OPPOSE and vote NO on all legislative attempts to disarm lawful citizens through mental health processes that allow judges, doctors, nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, or anyone else to arbitrarily declare someone mentally defective, disarming them before they’ve had their day in court?
Question 7
If elected, would you SUPPORT and vote YES on legislation like H.R. 221 which would abolish the scandal-ridden Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives after giving them time to inventory and sell the firearms in their possession and divert their cases to the Federal Bureau of Investigation?
Question 8
If elected, would you SUPPORT and vote YES on legislation that would repeal the 1994 Gun Free Schools Act, which has made America’s schools the site of repeated mass shootings, as violent criminals know that they are unlikely to face any armed opposition?
Question 9
If elected, would you SUPPORT and vote YES on legislation such as H.R. 335 that would repeal the National Firearms Act, which has been used to subvert people’s right to own the tools they need to maintain freedom against tyrannical government?
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.
| Survey | year | survey | form_id | entry_id | entry_date | First | Last | District | County | Seat | Chamber | Party | Q1 Answer | Q2 Answer | Q3 Answer | Q4 Answer | Q5 Answer | Q6 Answer | Q7 Answer | Q8 Answer | Q9 Answer | Comments |
|---|
Questions:
Question 1
Gun owners in Ohio have faithfully supported the Republican candidates in elections and generally recognize the Ohio GOP as the ‘pro-gun’ political party in Ohio. However, many elected GOP politicians have supported gun control in the past or have voted against pro-gun bills in Congress and our General Assembly.
Do you believe that being pro-gun is an essential plank of the Ohio Republican Party platform that both the party apparatus and elected GOP representatives up and down the ballot must respect?
Question 2
The Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution states, “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” Article 1 Section 4 of the Ohio Constitution states, “The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security.”
Do you believe that the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and Article 1 Section 4 of the Ohio Constitution recognize every Ohioan’s God-given right to keep and bear arms and prohibits the Government from restricting that right?
Question 3
“Extreme Risk Protection Orders,” commonly referred to as ‘Red Flag Orders,’ would allow virtually anyone to petition a court and make the claim, with little evidence or substantiation, that a person is a “danger to themselves or others.” Under “Red Flag Orders” or an expansion of Ohio’s “Pink-Slip” laws, liberal judges could, possibly even through ex parte hearings and with no due process of law, issue a “Red Flag” order or “Pink-Slip” order, stripping a law-abiding gun owner, who has never even been arrested, indicted, tried or convicted of a crime, of their Right to Keep and Bear Arms.
If elected, would you OPPOSE and REFUSE to endorse any GOP candidate that supports or has supported ‘Red Flag Orders,’ expanding Ohio’s ‘Pink-Slip’ laws and similar legislation that would deny law-abiding Ohio citizens their gun rights without due process and without ever having been convicted of a crime?
Question 4
Following tragedies, anti-gun lawmakers, the media and Bloomberg funded activists scream for a complete ban of the AR-15 (and standard 30-round magazines) and hundreds of related firearms all because of a variety of cosmetic features. Legislation has been introduced to ban these firearms in Washington, D.C., and lawmakers here in Ohio have introduced similar legislation. Even though all semi-automatic firearms function essentially the same way.
If elected, would you OPPOSE and REFUSE to endorse any GOP candidate that supports or has supported legislation banning the manufacture, sale or possession of semi-automatic firearms and/or large-capacity magazines, recognizing that these restrictions do nothing to stop crime but only serve to harass gun owners?
Question 5
Almost every political candidate will say “I support the Second Amendment” but not all will stand firmly against new and invasive forms of gun control, especially when “compromises” are offered.
If elected, will you OPPOSE and REFUSE to endorse any GOP candidate that supports or has supported any method of gun control, including those that the media calls “reasonable,” such as: bans on “ghost guns,” laws that disallow those with simple misdemeanor convictions from owning and carrying guns, increasing the minimum age of those who carry guns for self-defense, new taxes on ammunition, new ways to track guns and gun owners, ban the use or manufacturing of homemade firearms and the use of pistol braces?
Question 6
Gun owners in Ohio, who have supported Republican candidates up and down the ballot in election cycle after election cycle, are angry that their votes for the GOP are returned with either backstabbing betrayal or lack of action when it comes to our Second Amendment freedoms.
If elected, will you move to strip GOP politicians of their endorsements and party funding that: vote to restrict Ohioans’ 2nd Amendment rights, or block, stall, or refuse to advance pro-Second Amendment legislation?
Question 7
For years, the Ohio Republican Party has been misleading grassroots gun owners across the State by taking sides in contested primary elections. Often, the candidates endorsed and supported by the Ohio Republican Party are not the strong supporters of our Second Amendment that Ohio Republicans deserve, and in some cases have worked to undermine our gun rights once elected. Recent examples of this include Governor Mike DeWine, former Senator Rob Portman, State Senator Jerry Cirino, former State Senator Stephanie Kunze, former State Senator Matt Dolan, Congressman Dave Joyce and Congressman Mike Turner to name a few.
If elected, will you move to amend the Ohio Republican Party bylaws to ban them from endorsing, providing financial support, data sharing, and providing institutional support to candidates in contested primary elections – allowing gun owners and GOP voters to fairly vet and elect their representatives?
Question 8
Ohio currently operates under an open primary system, which allows non-Republican voters to participate in Republican primary elections. This creates opportunities for left-leaning activists and anti-gun voters to influence Republican primary outcomes and help nominate candidates who are weak or hostile toward the Second Amendment. Closing the Republican primary to Republican voters only would help ensure that GOP nominees reflect the will of pro-gun Republican voters and not outside interference.
If elected, will you SUPPORT efforts to close the Republican primary process in Ohio, and will you OPPOSE and REFUSE to endorse any GOP candidate for office who supports keeping Republican primaries open to non-Republican voters?
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.
Questions:
Question 1
If elected Ohio State Treasurer, would you prohibit the use of ESG scoring, “reputational risk,” or political ideology in determining which lawful businesses may access Ohio’s banking, investment, and financial services, including firearm manufacturers, FFL dealers, ammunition companies, and Second Amendment advocacy organizations engaged in lawful commerce protected by the Second Amendment?
Question 2
If elected Ohio State Treasurer, would you refuse to deposit, invest, or manage Ohio taxpayer funds with any financial institution that de-banks or discriminates against lawful gun owners, firearms businesses, or Second Amendment organizations engaged in lawful commerce protected by the Second Amendment?
Question 3
If elected Ohio State Treasurer, would you terminate or refuse state contracts with banks and financial institutions that deny services to constitutionally protected firearms-related commerce?
Question 4
If elected Ohio State Treasurer, would you oppose any effort to track, flag, or surveil lawful firearms or ammunition purchases through merchant category codes, transaction monitoring, or similar financial surveillance schemes?
Question 5
If elected Ohio State Treasurer, would you use the authority of your office to publicly oppose and actively block any state or federal attempt to weaponize financial institutions against the Second Amendment through de-banking or financial coercion?
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.
Questions:
Question 1
The Ohio Secretary of State is responsible for administering elections that determine who writes, enforces and defends gun laws. If elections are insecure, the votes of law-abiding pro-gun citizens can be diluted or canceled by unlawful or fraudulent ballots, directly threatening the Second Amendment. To have a functioning Constitutional Republic, voters must be able to trust that election results are accurate and backed by audited, verifiable data.
Do you agree that strong election security measures are a necessary part of protecting the Second Amendment rights of Ohio gun owners?
Question 2
Only American, Ohioan, eligible citizens should be voting in Ohio elections. Failure to verify identity or citizenship risks canceling out the lawful votes of gun owners.
If elected Secretary of State, would you REQUIRE government-issued photo ID to vote and proof of U.S. citizenship to register, with no loopholes that weaken enforcement?
Question 3
Unsecured or lightly supervised ballot drop boxes create chain-of-custody risks and open the door to ballot harvesting and unlawful ballot deposits. When ballots are not tightly controlled, lawful pro-gun votes can be offset by questionable ballots.
If elected Secretary of State, would you SUPPORT eliminating unsecured ballot drop boxes and require that ballots be returned only through in-person voting locations or fully secured and continuously supervised election offices?
Question 4
Extended and loosely controlled voting periods increase the opportunity for unlawful voting and ballot abuse, which can dilute the lawful votes of gun owners.
If elected Secretary of State, would you SUPPORT single-day, in-person voting as the standard, with absentee voting limited to narrow lawful circumstances and strong identity verification?
Question 5
Transparent, auditable paper ballots are the most reliable way to ensure that lawful votes are accurately counted and independently verified.
If elected Secretary of State, would you SUPPORT transitioning Ohio to paper ballots only, where every vote is cast on durable paper with hand-count capability and mandatory audits?
Question 6
Voting systems that are network-connected or electronically tabulated introduce avoidable security risks. Any vulnerability in vote counting threatens the political voice of gun owners.
If elected Secretary of State, would you OPPOSE and PROHIBIT electronic voting machines and tabulators and work to eliminate any equipment that can be remotely accessed or connected to outside networks?
Question 7
Ohio voters must be able to trust that voting equipment is secure, transparent and fully auditable, not dependent on unverifiable proprietary systems.
If elected Secretary of State, would you SUPPORT independent security reviews of all voting system vendors and replace equipment that cannot be fully audited and verified?
Question 8
Routine hand-count audits help detect errors and fraud and increase confidence that lawful pro-gun votes are counted correctly.
If elected Secretary of State, would you REQUIRE routine hand-count audits of selected precincts in statewide elections?
Question 9
Strict chain-of-custody procedures are necessary to ensure ballots are not altered, lost or injected into the system unlawfully.
If elected Secretary of State, would you REQUIRE documented chain-of-custody for every ballot from the moment it is cast until it is counted?
Question 10
Failure to remove ineligible registrants risks canceling out the votes of lawful pro-gun citizens.
If elected Secretary of State, would you aggressively ENFORCE routine voter roll cleanup to remove non-citizens, deceased voters, duplicate registrations and other ineligible names?
Question 11
Gun owners depend on fair elections to defend their rights through law and policy. Weakening election safeguards weakens their political voice.
If elected Secretary of State, would you OPPOSE any directive, legislation, settlement or rule change that weakens ballot security, verification standards or audit controls?
Question 12
Delayed results undermine public confidence and increase the opportunity for manipulation.
If elected Secretary of State, would you SUPPORT making Election Day a state holiday and commit to announcing election winners by midnight whenever legally possible?
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.