Niraj Antani now represents House District 42 and he is the Republican candidate seeking election to represent Ohio Senate District 06
In yesterday’s Dayton Daily News front page article on the contest for Ohio Senate District 06, Republican candidate Niraj Antani stuck to his guns, repeating three times: “I do not support any bill that increases restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.”
More to the point, Antani wants to remove any limitation on guns.
Antani got national attention for advocating that 18 year olds should be allowed to take their long guns to school. He is famous for saying: “My view is that anyone who is of age should be able to carry a firearm wherever they want. The only restriction I believe in is for private property.”
Will Garbe of the DDN reported Antani saying: “Law-abiding high school students age 18 years or older should be able to carry long guns inside public high schools.”
There seems no limit to Antani’s zeal to liberate guns:
- Should people to allowed to carry concealed weapons in the Ohio Statehouse and its grounds? Yes, sure.
- Should workers be permitted to keeps guns in their cars in their employees parking lot — even if prohibited by the employer? Of course.
- Should a gun holder have the right to “Stand their Ground” ? Yes. Yes.
Democrat Mark Fogel is seeking election to the Ohio Senate to represent District 06
In her April 19, 2020 DDN article, “Gun laws: Where local Statehouse candidates stand,” Laura Bischoff writes:
“Niraj Antani, a Republican state representative from Miamisburg, holds an A+ rating and endorsement from the Buckeye Firearms Association. He is undecided on DeWine’s Strong Ohio plan, though he is endorsed by DeWine for the Senate seat. Antani opposes bans on assault weapons and high-capacity magazines, as well as red flag laws. He favors enacting a stand your ground law and supports eliminating training and background checks for people who want to carry concealed weapons.”
After the Oregon shooting, Antani’s wild stubbornness for complete gun liberty was too much for Republican Senator Peggy Lehner. Term-limited after eight years as senator for District 06, she refused to endorse Antani. Weighing on Lehner’s decision had to be the memory of the shouts of the crowds who gathered to tell Governor DeWine to: Do Something. Do something. Do Something.
After the August 4 mass shooting, Governor DeWine, two weeks later, responded to the “Do Something” cries and made some specific recommendations for new gun laws. Lehner supported Gov. DeWine’s proposals and Antani opposed them. Antani’s stubbornness may have been the final straw for Lehner. Antani said he had asked Lehner about her support, but they differed too much on firearms.
“Lehner and I disagree on the 2nd Amendment,” Antani said. “I believe in supporting the 2nd Amendment. She believes in gun control. “I’m not willing to compromise on that issue. And I believe that’s why she endorsed my opponent,” Antani added.This from the August 18, 2019 DDN: Ohio lawmakers mixed for law changes from shooting:
In the Senate 16 members — evenly divided by party — support the governor’s red flag proposal. In the House 23 Democrats and two Republicans said they support it.State Sen. Peggy Lehner, R-Kettering said she supports all of Gov. DeWine’s proposals and considers the red flag and universal background check proposals “to be the most urgent and potentially most life-saving.”“In addition, I support a ban on high
capacity magazines and assault weapons. These are probably more effective at federal level,” Lehner said. …
Of those surveyed, only State Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miamisburg said outright that he is against DeWine’s red flag proposal. “The proposal lacks necessary due process,” Antani said
The issue of gun legislation is one big difference between Republican candidate Niraj Antani and the Democratic candidate Mark Fogel. Here are their responses to DDN’s three questions:
Q: SB221, the governor’s Strong Ohio gun reform package, isn’t likely to pass this legislative session and will likely be re-introduced next session. Where do you stand on the basic elements of the package?
Antani: I do not support any bill that increases restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.
Fogel: Common-sense, reasonable gun safety legislation is one of my top priorities. I say this as a gun owner myself, and someone dedicated to keeping our community safe. As we all know, after the Oregon District shooting, our neighbors demanded that leaders ‘do something’. While the Governor’s gun reforms are a step in the right direction, it’s upsetting that our legislators have failed to pass this bill, not to mention failing to enact the will of the people.
We need to make sure dangerous people don’t have access to guns, so we need universal background checks for gun sales. Ohio needs ‘red flag’ laws that help keep guns out of the hands of those deemed to be an imminent threat. Unlike my opponent, I believe that people with concealed carry permits should be required to complete training, and that high schoolers should not be able to take guns to class. The latter idea is dangerous and preposterous. I’m proud to be a Moms Demand Action Gun Sense Candidate, and be endorsed by Ohio’s Police, because they know I’ll fight for smart gun policy in Ohio.
Q: Should Ohio require background checks for ALL gun purchases, including private party sales?
Fogel: Yes.
Antani: I do not support any bill that increases restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.
Q: Should Ohio pass a red flag law that allows families and police to seek a court order to remove firearms from those deemed to be a danger to themselves or others?
Fogel: Yes.
Antani: I do not support any bill that increases restrictions on the Second Amendment rights of law abiding citizens.
It’s hard to think that a majority of the citizens of District 06 could possibly agree with Antani’s over-the-top — “I’m not willing to compromise on that issue” — radical views of total gun liberty. Could sanity for gun laws be the issue that will make a difference in this contest for District 06?
