Ohio Voters Have Chance to Send Gun-Banning Democrat Home

The vast majority of congressional districts are pretty safe for either Republicans or Democrats. Out of 435 House seats, Cook Political Report says just 22 are considered “toss-ups” this fall. Another nine “lean Republican”, and 10 seats “lean Democrat.” 

One of those Democrat-leaning districts is Ohio’s First Congressional District, where Rep. Greg Landsman is squaring off against Republican challenger Eric Conroy. CPP rates the district as R+1, and the district went for President Trump by 2.5 points back in 2024, which makes it a prime opportunity for a Republican flip. 

It’s also a race that should generate attention from gun owners in Ohio and beyond, given Landsman’s vocal support for bans on commonly-owned semi-automatic firearms. 

In 2022, when Landsman was running for Congress, he pledged to “go after these guns” if elected, and he’s lived up to his word. He’s a co-sponsor of HB 3115, also known as the “Assault Weapons Ban of 2025.” The bill bans many commonly-owned firearms by name, but also prohibits the sale, manufacture, transfer, and possession of semi-automatic rifles, shotguns, and pistols that have a single feature like a barrel shroud or a threaded barrel. 

Landsman’s talking points are cribbed straight from the gun control lobby, like his 2023 statement referring to “commonsense reforms to keep weapons of war off our streets.” His current campaign website boasts that Landsman “wants to be part of the generation of parents that ends the national gun violence nightmare.”

From schools, to malls, to houses of worship and street corners, the loss of life from gun violence is staggering and outrageous. 

In Congress, Greg will fight for universal background checks, red flag laws, age restrictions, and to ban assault weapons. He will work with his colleagues on both sides of the aisle to find solutions that save lives.

Landsman is so anti-gun that his website doesn’t even have the typical statement about supporting the Second Amendment “but…”, or claiming that “common sense” measures like banning commonly-owned arms and prohibiting young adults from owning firearms don’t conflict with the Second Amendment. There’s not even the slightest attempt to masquerade as a Second Amendment supporter, which is somewhat surprising given the battleground nature of OH-1.

Then again, it’s not like many Democrats are moderating their anti-gun views this cycle. Even Mary Peltola, who received the NRA’s endorsement in her 2024 congressional campaign to serve as Alaska’s sole House member, has dropped any pretense of support for the Second Amendment this time around. She’s been endorsed by both Shannon Watts and David Hogg this cycle, and there’s no mention of the right to keep and bear arms on her campaign website (though you can buy a camo hat with her campaign slogan). 

RNC spokesman Hunter Lovell says that “Landsman’s repeated calls to ban AR-15s prove he’s far more interested in appeasing his woke, far-left base than representing southwest Ohio,” adding that his gun control ideology is “wildly out of touch with the law-abiding families of Ohio’s First Congressional District, who value their Second Amendment rights.” 

Landsman’s record gives Ohio gun owners and Second Amendment supporters ample reason to vote against him. Eric Conroy, the Republican hoping to flip OH-1, is an Air Force veteran and former CIA intelligence officer who had the backing of President Donald Trump in the GOP primary, which he won handily. 

In his endorsement, President Trump declared that in Congress, Conroy “will work hard to Grow the Economy, Cut Taxes and Regulations, Promote MADE IN THE U.S.A., Advance American Energy DOMINANCE, Keep our Border SECURE, Stop Migrant Crime, and Defend our always under siege Second Amendment.”

I’d like to see Conroy make the Second Amendment a real issue in his campaign. His website talks about border security, national defense, and even “safe neighborhoods,” but at the moment there’s nothing specific about protecting or defending our right to keep and bear arms. Given Landsman’s outright hostility towards gun owners, I think Conroy would benefit by contrasting his own views on the Second Amendment with those of his anti-2A opponent. 

Voters in southwest Ohio have the opportunity to oust a gun ban champion this November, and gun owners can play an important role in Landsman’s defeat. I hope that Conroy will actively enlist their support between now and Election Day. With a grassroots army of Second Amendment supporters in Conroy’s corner, the anti-gunners could easily lose one of their biggest allies on Capitol Hill. 

Editor’s Note: President Trump and Republicans across the country are doing everything they can to protect our Second Amendment rights and right to self-defense.

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