2024 Primary Survey Results
Welcome to the 2024 Ohio Gun Owners Candidate Survey Results page for the Republican Primary election on March 19th!
Below you will find every completed survey that we have received from the candidates running to represent you: 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 is listed here 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
Ohio’s self-defense law leaves much to be desired. Although Ohio removed the duty-to-retreat in 2021 when SB175 was signed into law, Ohio law still allows anti-gun prosecutors to bring politically motivated charges against a citizen who was forced to use a firearm in self-defense, thus victimizing them a second time (as happened to Kyle Rittenhouse, Mark McCloskey, etc). For example, current law does not provide for pre-trial immunity hearings or provide an enactment clause so that a citizen can invoke stand-your-ground protections. Nor does Ohio law legally recognize the “threatened use of force,” which is an important de-escalation tool in potentially life-threatening situations. If elected, would you support strengthening Ohio’s self-defense laws so that Ohioans may defend themselves against criminal attack without fear of political retribution from an activist prosecutor?
Question 3
Our Constitutional 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 currently. If elected, would you support strengthening Ohio’s Constitutional Carry law to give gun owners in Ohio 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 firearms 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 Preservation Act, otherwise known as SAPA, which prohibits the Federal government from ‘commandeering’ state and local law enforcement to enforce federal gun laws. House Bill 51 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 Second Amendment Preservation Act legislation here in Ohio (like HB51), which simply prohibits the federal commandeering of state and local cops 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 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, 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
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 adhere to?
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 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 each nationally reported shooting, anti-gun lawmakers, the media and Bloomberg funded activists have been screaming 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. Despite the fact that 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, the use 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 GOP Representatives are returned with backstabbing betrayal as Dave Joyce and Mike Turner’s recent votes on S. 2938 (Red Flag Law Funding) indicate, for example. If elected, will you move to strip GOP politicians of their endorsements and party funding, including the ones listed above, that vote to restrict Ohioans’ 2nd Amendment rights?
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 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, Senator Rob Portman, State Senator Jerry Cirino, State Senator Stephanie Kunze and State Senator Matt Dolan to name a few. If elected, will you move to amend the Ohio Republican Party bylaws to ban the Party from endorsing and providing financial support to candidates in contested primary elections – allowing gun owners and GOP voters to fairly vet and elect their representatives?
Question 8
Some people believe that the Second Amendment is not absolute and the term ‘shall not be infringed’ does not mean what it says. Do you believe in reasonable restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms?
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.
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, citizens 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 others. If elected, would you and your agency enforce a ‘Red Flag’ gun confiscation law if such a bill was passed by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor?
Question 2
As governments of various levels are increasingly becoming more authoritarian and tyrannical, it is incumbent upon County Sheriffs to be freedom’s last line of defense, defending the county from tyranny, no matter who is sponsoring it or where it comes from. If elected, will you and your agency oppose restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms and refuse to enforce them within your county?
Question 3
Joe Biden, Merrick Garland, and the ATF are diligently working to federalize state and local law enforcement around the country, bribing them through equitable sharing program dollars and myriad federal resources. These programs are designed to make it nearly impossible to operate without their resources – ultimately rendering them addicted to their federal “partnerships.” If elected, will you and your agency refuse to operate on any joint task force with the ATF that is designed to confiscate firearms, firearm accessories or ammunition from gun owners?
Question 4
Gun owners have been battling for several years to pass the Second Amendment Preservation Act, which simply says that Ohio law enforcement cannot be ‘commandeered’ to enforce Joe Biden’s gun control agenda, while maintaining the ability of law enforcement to partner with federal officials to enforce laws of the State of Ohio or of a political subdivision of Ohio. This constitutional, 10th amendment legislation is widely supported by the grassroots gun owner community across Ohio, including many in your county. Do you support the Second Amendment Preservation Act, otherwise known as Substitute House Bill 51?
Question 5
Joe Biden, almost daily, rants and raves for the need to ban semi-automatic firearms like the AR-15, Ruger 10-22s, and nearly all firearms capable of accepting 10-round magazines or more. And legislation to do just that has hundreds of congressmen and congresswomen supporting it. If elected, would you enforce an ‘Assault Weapons’ ban, or any firearm ban within your county?
Question 6
Many gun owners expect their elected County Sheriff to be the last line of defense against tyranny in their county, whether that be from President Joe Biden, the Governor of Ohio or anyone in between. For example, when Illinois, Washington State, and New York recently enacted draconian gun-control laws, myriad county sheriffs in those states publicly refused to enforce those laws within their county. If elected, are you willing to stand up for the rights of gun owners in your county by publicly refusing to enforce a ban on so-called ‘Assault Weapons,’ a national ‘Red Flag’ Gun Confiscation law or gun registration law that was passed at the National, State, or county level?
Question 7
Almost every candidate running for Sheriff 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 and proponents call “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 8
Some people believe that the Second Amendment is not absolute and the term ‘shall not be infringed’ does not mean what it says. Do you believe in reasonable restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms?
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 like S. 529 (2021) 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 like S. 1819 that establishes ‘Red Flag Gun Confiscation’ 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 like S. 1108 (2021) 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. 25 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. 374 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 like H.R. 93, a national Second Amendment Preservation Act, that prohibits the use of federal funds to enforce federal gun control laws, regulations, executive orders, treaties etc. or any regulation issued by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms?
Scroll to the right to see all the results. Click on “View” to see each individual survey submitted.