Firearms groups take aim over Click

FREMONT — A leading state gun rights organization, the Buckeye Firearms Association, is standing by its top rating of state Rep. Gary Click, R-Vickery, and its endorsement of him in the May 5 primary. A nonprofit called Ohio Gun Owners has been criticizing Click in advertisements and backing his opponent in the primary, Eric Watson, a small business owner who lives in Tiffin. Other prominent gun rights groups have publicly criticized Ohio Gun Owners and its affiliated groups in other states. Click and Watson oppose each other in the Republican primary for Ohio House District 88. There's also a Democratic candidate, Aaron W. Jones, who does not have a primary opponent. The district represents Sandusky and Seneca counties. The Buckeye Firearms Association regularly publishes voting guides before Ohio elections. The group's website gives Click an "A" rating. It gives an "Aq" rating to Watson, explaining that the rating is based on answers to a questionnaire, not on votes. The voting guide also lists Click as the candidate endorsed by the Buckeye Firearms Association in the primary. The letter grade and the endorsement are two separate actions, explained Dean Rieck, executive director of the Buckeye Firearms Association. Rieck, who said he double-checked Click's voting record in the Ohio House before talking to the Register, said the letter grade is based on voting records, answers to a survey and other research. Click has a 100% record of support for bills backed by the Buckeye Firearms Association, Rieck said. "To the best of my knowledge, he's never failed to support a Second Amendment bill," Rieck said. The Buckeye Firearms Association is generally considered the top pro-gun organization in Ohio. It does not publish membership figures, but Rieck said that, counting people who have paid memberships or who just sign up for a newsletter, the group seems to have tens of thousands of supporters, Rieck said. The group has won a string of victories from a friendly Republican-dominated legislature, including a measure allowing school boards to arm teachers and staff. Shots fired When the Register contacted Click and Watson, both contended they have the most persuasive endorsements to win the voters of local gun rights supporters. "The Buckeye Firearms Association has a long-standing reputation of getting solid Second Amendment laws passed, like constitutional carry," Click said, referring to an Ohio law passed in 2022 allowing legal firearm owners to carry handguns concealed without a license. "Talk is cheap, results matter and the Buckeye Firearms Association produces results." Watson also promptly responded to the Register's inquiry and noted that although Click has an incumbent's advantage in the Buckeye Firearms Association rating, he himself received the highest rating a challenger can receive. "Gary was given a 'C-' by Ohio Gun Owners, and I received an 'Aq' as well," Watson said. "There's consistency with me. There is inconsistency with Rep. Gary Click's record." Ohio Gun Owners, which describes itself as a nonprofit devoted to gun rights, has been running an ad on social media criticizing Click for not filling out the group's survey. It also claims that Click has not supported gun rights. Disputes among groups A variety of mainstream gun rights groups have published articles criticizing Ohio Gun Owners and similar groups in other states run by the same leaders. Rieck declined comment on Ohio Gun Owners, but the Buckeye Firearms Association website has a 2019 article by the group, citing a press report, which states: "The formula appears to be identical across all of these organizations: use Facebook videos to attack pro-gun lawmakers and gun rights organizations, then ask for money. They also oppose pro-gun legislation, then take credit for other people's work when the legislation passes." The National Rifle Association has also posted an article with similar criticism. Ohio Gun Owners does not list a telephone number on its website, but the Register filled out an email contact form and asked for comment. The newspaper did not receive an immediate response.