The battle to protect our right to keep and bear arms is largely one focused on the federal government and the states. After all, that’s where most of the infringement seems to come from, so it makes sense to look there.
The states are the people who will ban guns in such a way that you can’t really escape it without completely uprooting your life, and the feds can ruin everything with no escape at all.
But just because you can move outside of a city or county doesn’t mean you should ignore what they have going on, as the Buckeye Firearms Association reminds us.
As 2026 gets underway next week, it will be easy to focus on the national and global stories of the day.
But don’t let all of those big shiny objects distract you from the goings on in your own community. As former House Speaker Tip O’Neil often said, “All politics is local.”
New bodies of city councils, township trustees, and school boards begin in January, and you can bet many of them are not staunch supporters of your gun rights.
You are likely aware of Cincinnati, Cleveland, and Columbus and their endless attacks on law-abiding gun owners under the guise of curbing gun violence. They hate guns because it’s a popular progressive view, and they want you to know it.
The courts have been inconsistent in recognizing the Ohio Supreme Court’s 2010 ruling that ORC 9.68 — the preemption law — means cities are prohibited from enacting municipal gun laws. But without consequences like personal fines, such as what occurs in Florida, nothing is stopping these municipalities’ leaders from wasting taxpayers’ money on virtue signaling.
We are hopeful that legislation progressing in the Ohio General Assembly will help on that front. Senate Bill 278, sponsored by Terry Johnson (R-McDermott), would permit individuals to seek punitive or exemplary damages against municipal corporations that pass gun control measures. The bill had its second hearing Nov. 12 in the Senate Local Government Committee.
Party affiliation no guarantee of 2A support
As we reported back in February 2023, Cincinnati suburb Norwood took its shot at gun owners with an ordinance calling for the destruction of surplus firearms.
The City Council had just voted 6-1 to approve an ordinance that keeps the city from participating in any sale or auction of firearms.
Council members Emily Franzen, Susan Hoover, Alexis Royse, Candace Winterbauer and Erick Thompson, all Democrats, voted in favor, but so did Republican Chris Kelsch.
You should go and read the whole thing, but the overall points here are important.
Yes, local governments, even in preemption states, can do anti-gun things. My own home state of Georgia is dealing with a Savannah city council that thinks it has the authority to regulate gun storage in cars, even though there’s no preemption exception for such a thing.
The city of Pittsburgh famously decided to ban so-called assault weapons despite Pennsylvania’s preemption law.
While preemption means these laws will, in time, be overturned by the courts, they still have to be fought. It’s far cheaper to defeat them before they become law than afterward.
Plus, as pointed out above, it’s not just violating preemption laws that counts as an anti-gun move. Refusal to sell guns at auction, thus helping to increase the cost of firearms overall, is also an anti-gun jab. These guns would be sold to licensed gun dealers and would only be sold to people who pass a background check, but the idea that these are a problem is an anti-gun talking point.
Of course, we shouldn’t forget about cities in non-preemption states. While major urban centers are easy to keep tabs on, the suburbs of these cities also have anti-gun sensibilities and will look to curtail the right to keep and bear arms.
Keep an eye on every step of government, lest they forget their place.
They are not to rule us, but to help us rule ourselves. They cannot be allowed to curtail our rights and claim they’re working toward that goal, because taking away our right to keep them in check is the first step in changing who is ruling whom.
Editor’s Note: To celebrate Christmas and ring in 2026, Bearing Arms is matching our biggest sale ever on VIP memberships. Now through January 1, until 11:59 pm PT, receive 74% off a VIP membership using promo code MERRY74!
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