by Chad D. Baus

The Cleveland Plain Dealer reported last week that State Rep. Tom Letson, a 2012 BFA D-rated Democrat from Warren, has announced his candidacy for the Ohio Supreme Court next year against incumbent Justice Sharon Kennedy (R).

Letson, who is term limited and cannot run for re-election in the House, publicly announced his intention to run during the Ohio Democratic Party's executive committee meeting in Columbus. The party has endorsed his candidacy.

In June 2012, the 61 year-old attorney took to the floor of the Ohio House to speak against passage of House Bill 495 (Reciprocity & Concealed Carry Modernization).

Having come prepared to introduce an anti-gun amendment to make Ohioans' private, personal information from concealed handgun license records open to the public, Letson decided not to make the motion, calling it "futile."

Instead, Letson began his floor speech by telling his colleagues that he wanted to go over "what the Second Amendment actually says."

"The Second Amendment comes in two parts. Two parts," Letson said. "The lawyers of you know. The rest of you may not. But it starts out with 'A well regulated militia, necessary for the security of a free State....'"

Of course, you don't have to be an attorney to observe that Letson inaccurately quoted the opening phrase, which actually states, 'A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State...' Letson's forgotten words may not have made a big difference in the point he was about to try to make, but it begs the question - should a man who can't even accurately quote the Second Amendment really be lecturing on the floor of the Ohio House about its meaning, let alone running for the Ohio Supreme Court?