With the heavily gerrymandered statehouse leaning so far Republican, the gun lobby has been winning in Ohio for years. First we had “Stand your ground” where you were no longer expected to retreat, and then “Constitutional Carry” which basically removed all training and testing for the right to carry a concealed weapon. It’s as if the very people who constantly tell us they “Support the Blue” as in police, just want to make their job that much harder and put them at risk, but today, April 1, 2022, a person who never could have been elected without creative mapmaking and a totally hapless Democratic party to fail to run candidates that have a chance.
Of course I’m talking about State Senator Niraj Antani, who at one point suggested it would be a good idea to allow high school students over 18, carry long guns in high school [1]. Of course, he had to roll it back when he realized that he couldn’t just make that law for suburban and rural white kids, no long guns for urban youth in Niraj’s warped world.
Today, April 1, 2022, he introduced his “Annie Oakley” bill- to require all students to take and pass a marksmanship course in order to graduate from high school. “As we’ve seen in Ukraine, the importance of citizens to take up arms against an invading army is a critical skill” said Antani, who dropped out of law school to become a politician, totally bypassing military service.
Of course, he’d also include gun safety training in the class, but, there is to be no mention of proper and safe gun storage, since he believes firmly in a fully armed electorate. “Why store a weapon when you always have to have it ready?” When asked about the mass shooting in the Oregon District in 2019, and the calls of the community to “Do Something” as to gun control, Antani says that “Gun control is being able to hit your target, which is why I named it after a legendary Ohio sharpshooter, Annie Oakley. I think Annie would be in favor of this bill, she started shooting at an early age, winning a marksmanship contest at age 15.”
When it was pointed out that the Statehouse is still a gun free zone, Antani smiled, pulled back his jacket and revealed a Magnum Research Desert Eagle, 50 Action Express hanging under his left armpit in a cross draw shoulder rig, “they can take my gun, when they pry it out from my cold dead fingers” and walked back into the Statehouse, bypassing the metal detectors.
Hooray for Niraj!! I’m so glad that he’s introduced another great bill for his constituents! I really like how he named it after a woman. Niraj loves women and women’s causes! That’s why he introduced and lobbied hard to pass the bill to remove “the pink tax” from feminine hygiene products. This Annie Oakley bill is just another fine example of the legislation that comes from the brain of Niraj!!
I am so thankful to be living in his senatorial district. And I’m also thankful that he quit his job at the ticket redemption counter at Chuck-E-Cheese (his ONLY job in the private sector) so he could enter the political arena. Niraj is the textbook example of the fine quality of public servants that are handed to us via the actions of a political party central committee. God help us all!! I’m hoping that Niraj attends the next central committee meeting when the party will attempt to name a replacement for a recently deceased municipal judge. We will get to see if Niraj can actually back a quality candidate for that position or if he subscribes to the notion that public offices should be able to be inherited and backs the appointment of the judge’s completely unqualified daughter. Hmmm, anybody want to take bets on that one???
There is one benefit of Niraj being a state senator instead of a state rep. Since he’s pretty well entrenched in that position for the next several years, at least he’s not a news camera whore seeking name recognition. Of course, as he’s about to term limit out, that will most likely change. The other thing that Niraj can claim credit for is that he makes Republicans actually want to vote for the Democrats that run against him. Even Mike Turner hasn’t turned as many of the party faithful away as good ol’ Niraj.
Another great post, David!!
The only people who need to worry about Constitutional Carry and Stand Your Ground laws are thugs. Which of course is most of Dayton. If that hits minorities more, well gee, I wonder why. Maybe these parasites will think twice before breaking into houses and cars or accosting people not knowing if they are armed. Shootings are not a problem as long as the right people get shot.