Guns
in the CLE
How Northeast Ohio handles its pieces.
Stuart M. Philipps
G
un culture in and around Cleveland can be summarized as abundant, but guarded. Embracing, yet exiling. Familial, although suspicious. When you talk about guns with the people of this state, they are either educated sages or blusterous students. The middle ground of gun owner is not entirely absent, but it is one of those unique hobbies where either you’re studied or a student.
Those willing to help teach others are likely a part of your family if you’re from Ohio. Just about everyone who was asked, “how did you get into guns?” responded with a combination of some family members; fathers, grandfathers, uncles, or sometimes their maternal equivalents. The family taught them responsibility and respect for guns, cementing the mantra, “guns are not toys.” However, these same people also learned that guns can be fun within these lessons. Target competitions, hunting expeditions, or showing off your hardware is a bonding experience.
“A gun is not
Of those who are the hardest of the hardcore gun The gun owner who has inherited World War a cureall.” enthusiasts, they are, perhaps unsurprisingly, not II pistols from grandfathers or shot those high very open to communicating with the media. The caliber rifles at once in a lifetime moments when National Rifle Association actually has “guidelines” a cousin comes to town. The fear of firearms is for its members on how to communicate with the nonexistent for casual Ohio gun owners because press. Asking questions at gun shows here in Northeast Ohio leads they grew up around them. This is “‘Merica,” after all. to many a side glance, an unease of suspicion, and a refusal of personal information for quotes. According to the Ohio Violent Death Reporting System 2014 Annual report, there were a total of 3,695 violent deaths by fireThat unease doesn’t mean there was a refusal to help educate on arm in Ohio between 2012 and 2014. Ohio trends right along the the topic of guns. national average when it comes to these violent crime and death statistics. A majority of these violent crimes were suicides by “Gun sales are down across the board – many sellers have had to firearms. This statistic speaks to a deeper mental health aspect consolidate or auction off their inventory,” states Robert Senczylo, of the state that can’t be fully covered in this article. Although, a former scout sniper who now runs Bear Tactical Firearms. one aspect certainly worth citing is the abundant access to firearms, particularly handguns. “When Obama was president, everyone was afraid of the government taking the guns, but with Trump in office that fear has subIn short, this is America. There are ironies that abound in gun sided,” explains Tyler Adams of Sherwin Shooting Sports. culture around the country and the same holds for Ohio. There is a deep distrust of governmental control (assault rifle bans, Many of those willing to speak are ex-military – they would be gun confiscation fears, big brother), but a lot of invested gun the experts after all, one would expect. enthusiasts are ex-military. There is a heavy focus on personal protection, but a good deal of “blue lives matter” vibes in the gun “There has been a lot of vilification of guns, a lot of which can owning community. be remedied by education,” as Adams, a former marine, states. He also stresses, “A gun is not a cureall.” You can open carry in Ohio, but that’s a tricky line to maneuver if you’re of a minority persuasion. However, if we can educate ourIt’s not difficult to educate yourself on guns in Ohio; it is an open selves without becoming obsessive and appreciate our constitutional carry state, concealed carry classes are abundant, and there are freedoms with our fellow Americans when exercising our second 173,405 registered guns in Ohio, so plenty of owners to help with amendment rights, then perhaps there can be universal background preschool for pistols or reading with rifles. respect for everyone’s safety and well being.
10 PRESSURELIFE | ISSUE 29
