Buckeye Reporter

On July 25, 1788, the first Ohio law to establish and regulate a militia was published in Marietta. It mandated all men between 16 and 50 perform military duty. They were required to arm themselves with a musket and bayonet, a cartridge box, powder horn, one pound of powder, and four pounds of lead. They also were ordered to drill every Sunday.

By November of that year, fines were implemented for those who failed to meet the requirements. For example, a soldier without a musket and bayonet had to pay 50 cents. Those who failed to show up for drills were fined 25 cents. Refusing guard duty resulted in a $1 fine, and failure to serve in case of invasion meant facing a court-martial.

In 1791, the law changed the day of the weekly drills to Saturday. Those who drilled did not have to attend church on Sunday. However, those who attended church services—with their guns—were exempt from drilling.

Chad D. Baus commented on this historical context by saying: "How far we have sunk in Ohio, from a day when all men were not only allowed but required by law to own firearms." He further noted that "churches were not legislated as victim zones" and highlighted that historical records show many of Ohio's gun control laws had racist overtones.

Baus called upon Ohio's legislators "to follow through on their Constitutional duty by taking the next step in restoring our God-given rights," urging the General Assembly this Memorial Day to advance pro-gun rights bills pending in the Statehouse.

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. For nearly two decades, he was the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org and is an NRA-certified firearms instructor.

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