It is critical that we vote 'Yes' on Issue 1
State Sen. Dr. Terry Johnson
By State Sen. Dr. Terry Johnson
R-Senate District 14
Last week, the far-left mayors of Columbus and Cleveland showed the real reason they're against Issue 1. They want to run their own constitutional amendment targeting your 2nd Amendment rights.
Violent crime is on the rise in these cities, and instead of enforcing the law and backing the police, these liberal mayors want to blame law abiding citizens who exercise their 2nd Amendment right to own a firearm.
I have news for them. Felons don't consult the Ohio Revised Code before committing a car-jacking or robbing a convenience store at gun point.
Vote 'Yes' on Issue 1. Protect our Constitution, and when you do you're protecting your right to own a firearm from a future far left campaign to pass an amendment taking away your 2nd Amendment rights.
Issue 1 simply raises the bar to pass a constitutional amendment to 60% rather than a simple majority. The Ohio Constitution carries greater authority than revised code, and special interests from the coasts know it's a sitting duck for their liberal causes.
Make no mistake, these wealthy out-of-state progressives are willing to spend millions of dollars in campaign ads to change it.
The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Liberal, progressive, anti-gun Democrats will use a no vote on Issue 1 to take away your right to self-defense. They will take away your guns.
This is not an accusation. It is a fact. How do we know? Because they said so. They said the quiet part out loud.
Here’s what Justin Bibb, Cleveland's liberal mayor, told the entire world at a news conference:
“We can use our real political power to change the culture of guns in this state. It starts by voting no on Issue 1, by the way, to make sure we can maybe put a ballot measure on our state constitution to have common-sense gun reform.”
By common sense, he means unconstitutional. He means they will chip away at your Second Amendment right to self-defense until only criminals have guns and law-abiding citizens are left defenseless.
Left defenseless to face the murderous crime culture created by decades of liberal rule in our big cities. Left defenseless to face the violent crime wave unleashed by progressive anti-Second Amendment policies of defunding police and letting criminals walk.
Criminals don’t bother to consult the Ohio Revised Code before robbing a convenience store or committing a carjacking at gunpoint. Yet, the progressive liberal Democrats in charge like Mayor Bibb in Cleveland and Mayor Ginther in Columbus reject accountability and embrace the progressive blame game. They would rather blame law-abiding gun owners, than prosecute the career criminal. Vote Yes on Issue 1 or at some point these liberals will demand you surrender your firearms.
Ohio’s big-city liberals keep pushing radical gun restrictions on ordinary citizens but the courts keep stopping them from stripping us of our constitutional rights. So far. If Issue 1 is defeated, all bets are off.
These extremists want to defeat Issue 1 so they can change and even overturn anything in our state constitution with a simple majority vote. They will go after your Second Amendment rights tooth and nail. They will eviscerate those rights at the local level and the state level, if they can. We know this to be true. Because they have said so.
At a news conference on the statehouse steps on Thursday, liberal Columbus Mayor Ginther said, "This violence must end and we need our state legislators to use every lever to get the guns off our streets."
Notice what he said. He didn’t say we need to get violent criminals off our streets. He said we need to get guns off our streets. Now you see their real priorities – loud and clear.
By Ginther’s own admission, that is a failed strategy. Columbus did see a welcome drop to 140 homicides in 2022 after a record-breaking 205 the year before. But, as Ginther noted, there have already been 88 homicides in Columbus this year. He also noted the record number of firearms collected by Columbus Police last year, more than 3,300. What does that tell you?
Guns aren’t the problem. The criminals are. But the left will not do anything about that. Their policies reward the criminals and punish the victims. It will only get worse if we do not pass Issue 1.
The “common sense” gun laws they are dying to implement are not an attack on gun violence, they’re an attack on gun violence victims. Radical policies brought by the anti-working class, anti-Constitutional progressives have undermined police departments and unleashed an epidemic of gun violence on our cities. Every day, there are fewer police to protect you.
These extremists who cloak themselves as friends of the people are instead determined to punish law-abiding citizens for the violent crime wave they’ve enabled. Taking away your guns won’t protect you. It will leave you defenseless.
They want to remove your Second Amendment rights, and any other rights that get in their way.
Only a "Yes" vote on Issue 1 can stop them.
Dr. Johnson graduated summa cum laude in 1985 from Ohio University with a bachelor's degree in history, before attending that university's College of Osteopathic Medicine. After graduating in 1991 from Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine, he completed his family practice residency at Doctor's Hospital in Columbus, after which he returned to the Portsmouth area to practice in 1994. He has served continuously as a family practice physician for nearly three decades in southern Ohio, his lifelong home.
Comment
Mr. Johnson, What about…
Mr. Johnson,
What about the millions and millions of out of state supporters that sponsored Issue 1? And what about the Ohio Republicans who said there shouldn't be any more special elections as they were too costly? You state all the supposed reasons for voting yes, but the real reason is abortion that will be on the November ballot. Otherwise, why would you need a special election for this? You can give me all the BS reasons but I don't buy them at all. You and your cronies throughout this country have been trying to scare people for as long as I can remember about "somebody" taking their guns away. Have we lost any guns in the past 30 years? More fear tactics. BS
Vote "YES" on Issue 1
Isn't it amazing that groups like the Ohio Democratic Party, League of Women Voters, Planned Parenthood, Ohio Education Association, Democratic Socialists of Ohio and ACLU of Ohio all oppose Issue 1 and are trying to influence you to do the same while at the same time require at least 60% vote of their membership to change their group's By-laws. Why is this? What do they know that you don't? Do you really trust people or organizations that are telling you to do one thing while they do the exact opposite? Do you share the same values as those organizations opposing Issue 1? I don't! Leftists and progressive political activists have perfected the art of projecting their own motives onto others, accusing them of doing what they themselves are guilty of.
Issue 1 requires more votes to approve a constitutional amendment (60% vs the current 50% + 1) and requires amendment supporters gather signatures in all 88 (instead of the current 44) counties. This is being called unfair. But unfair to whom? If you look at a map of Ohio showing how all 88 Ohio counties voted in the last presidential election, you will see that 9 counties were blue and 79 counties were red. Which counties do you think left-leaning activists collecting signatures to get their radical agenda on the ballot to change Ohio's constitution will go to? They will target only those counties where they have the best odds of support which would be high-population blue counties and blue surrounding areas. They do not want to deal with red rural counties where support would be more difficult to get. They don't want rural, small-town Ohioans to have a say and get in their way. With the backing of wealthy donors and activist groups, it's much easier to convince half of Ohioans to vote in favor or their issues.
That's their playbook and would become the blueprint for trying to make any changes to the Ohio Constitution they see fit. This would be funded by the likes of George Soros and Michael Bloomberg. Limit collection of signatures to areas that agree with your agenda, spend millions of dollars for false advertising in those areas to change the constitution with only half of Ohio voters in agreement. This is the tail wagging the dog. There is a reason those opposing Issue 1 have outspent those endorsing by four to one.
Ohio’s makeup is that of big cities and small towns. Constitutional amendments affect all Ohioans, not just a select few. Requiring Ohioans from all of our counties to have a say in getting an issue on the ballot and requiring a clear majority of Ohioans to support whatever amendment is being proposed is a good thing ensuring that a true majority of Ohioans are on board before making any permanent changes to our constitution. I would argue that a 60% approval rate to amend the constitution is not insurmountable as some are arguing. If an issue will pass at 50% and not 60%, there needs to be a better solution that is more broadly supported.
There is tremendous opposition to Issue 1 because it has far-reaching consequences on many issues that will extend far beyond this election. We won’t get a do-over if we get it wrong. Do you want to make it easier or harder to vote away your Second Amendment Rights and prohibit you from owning a firearm? Do you want to make it easier or harder to legalize abortion up to (or after) the moment of birth? What about gender reassignment surgeries for kids, forced vaccinations, stripping away parental authority over your children or packing the court?
Those of you that think they are not coming after our guns are not paying attention. Our Second Amendment protects all of the other amendments and is the only reason this country has not fallen. Ask the people in other countries that have been disarmed how that is working out. Why is it that those representing and wanting to control us want their armed bodyguards, but want you unarmed? Ask them to give us their bodyguards and see what kind of a response you get.
Please watch the video at https://rumble.com/v33u1su-ogo-and-angie-king-on-issue-one-html. Even though this is a discussion between Ohio Gun Owners and Representative Angie King, it covers far more than just Second Amendment issues. It also explains the issues this impacts and the importance of voting Yes. I would urge each and every one of you to get out there, do your part and Vote “YES” on Issue 1.
Issue 1
This is all about the Mepublican party maintaining their power. When told to redraw gerrymandered districts, they made minor changes having no impact. This amendment purports to make amendments acceptable to a majority of the population. In reality, it allows a minority (40%) to block an amendment desired by a majority (60%) of the population.
Seriously?
Katie bar the door! "The Liberals" are coming for our guns! That's been a scare tactic since Jimmy Carter, when Americans only had about 100 million guns.
I remember the 2016 election, when Hillary was a shoo in and ammo was so scarce the prices sky rocketed. When she lost, the gun lobby had to double down on doomsday in spite of the new savior in the WH, and gun manufacturers started rethinking their target audience...namely, minorities. Marketing 101, if there's no perceived conflict just create some hype so you can sell. They have guns so you need guns to protect yourself!
So now we have a emergency election to change the Constitution from what it's been for over a century because, finally, this time, the Liberals really are coming for your guns? Give it a break.
As far as the blue counties using there numbers to force issues through, 7 counties voted for Biden in 2020. That means the voters in at least 37 red counties have to sign off to get something on the ballot.
This is an obvious attempt by Republicans to prevent the people of Ohio from keeping the one option they have to rein in out of control politicians. It is ridiculous. Vote No!
Yes Seriously
JIMT, How many States have criminalized magazines, rifles, and firearm ownership between the ages of 18-20 the past 3 years? Hmm?
Re: vote yes on Issue 1
Honestly, I cant figure out how this is even an issue. This country is based on the ideas of the people. 51% is the majority. We do not need supermajorities which will prevent much from passing or being removed. That is not what our country is based on. From a concerned Republican.
••••Publisher's note: Actually, the Founders favored individual freedom over "majority rule." That's why we are a republic. Think about a criminal trial in which one is judged by a jury of 12 peers. If "majority rule" were in place, a 7-5 vote by jurors would lead to a conviction or acquittal. As it is, it takes 12 to convict or find not guilty.