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The Dorr Brothers: A Detriment to Freedom

Published in Blog on December 14, 2022 by Diana Telles

In my analysis of Chris Dorr’s submitted opponent testimony against HJR-3 on behalf of Ohio Gun Owners in October 2021, it is clear he was not well-educated on the process of an Article V state amending convention. He did not appear to have any understanding of the resolution he was opposing.

A portion of his submitted testimony reads: 

“You see, the answer to our woes is simple. Pass bills that are actually going to protect freedom instead of opening up Pandora’s box by allowing corrupt individuals and wordsmiths to tweak our beautiful constitution. And besides, we have no problem at all with the current wording of the Second Amendment, which is absolute and says that the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. Ohio Gun Owners will be engaged in this issue in the coming and future elections.”

Our resolution clearly states we look to propose amendments to the U.S. Constitution. Suggesting that a Convention of States under Article V would convene to simply “tweak” the U.S. Constitution is terribly misguided. In addition, had he read HJR-1 thoroughly, he would have understood that our resolution undeniably declares, 

“This application is made with the express understanding that an amendment that in any way seeks to amend, modify, or repeal any provision of the Bill of Rights shall not be authorized for consideration at any stage…” 

Chris Dorr’s ignorance is disappointing considering his line of work as an activist representing “Ohio’s biggest and most powerful gun group” as is stated on the Ohio Gun Owners web page. His donors should rightfully expect Mr. Dorr to fully comprehend legislation he deems worthy or unworthy. In the case of resolution HJR-1, which is a critical step in restoring the Constitution, he clearly does not understand. 

Diving deeper into Ohio Gun Owners, it appears to be only one of many advocacy groups run by Chris Dorr and his brothers Matt, Ben, and Aaron with a reputation for dubious, unreliable practices.

Their gun advocacy groups are found not only in Ohio, but Iowa, Wisconsin, Minnesota, New Hampshire, Georgia, Missouri, Idaho, Virginia, Pennsylvania Tennessee, Wyoming, North Carolina, and probably more. 

In fact, there may be as many as 30 separate non-profit organizations and Facebook sites managed by the four Dorr brothers. They even operate a national gun advocacy group based in Columbus called The American Firearms Association whose web site is nearly identical to that of the Ohio Gun Owners site. 

In addition to the pro-gun movement, the Dorr brothers and their associates claim to also represent worthy conservative entities such as the pro-life movement, anti-quarantine efforts, and pro-Trump groups.

According to dozens of media articles, their pattern of behavior across the country includes locating an organization in a state and developing an active, convincing presence on social media. Regardless of the nature of the crusade, these sites build enrollment, ultimately seeking membership donations and making additional pleas for subsidies as needed.

Across several states, the Dorr brothers for years have been openly accused of conducting very little in the way of true lobbying. To keep the money coming in, they appear to create discord by challenging even the most pro-second amendment, pro-life, Republican legislators, accusing them of being disloyal to conservative causes and to their constituents. 

These infamous brothers have quite the reputation for creating uncertainty and stirring the pot. They claim to be steadfast and inflexible when it comes to pro-life and pro-gun legislation, propagating exaggerated claims about inadequate legislators in Facebook videos, and posting memes accordingly to engage their members. Of course, they regularly ask for money to keep up the charade. 

In 2017, Rep. Matt Windschitl articulated the deception of Aaron Dorr and his organization Iowa Gun Owners on the Iowa House floor. “Iowans are being lied to,” stated Windschitl. The average individual citizen out there that wants to see Second Amendment rights advance in the state, those are the people being lied to. They’re being lied to by a man named Aaron Dorr.”

Windschitl explained that Aaron and Chris Dorr were publicly taking credit for recently advanced pro-gun legislation without having attended a single sub-committee hearing nor having been registered as lobbyists on the bill. 

A search on the internet exposes countless media stories and even entire web pages dedicated to exposing the facts about the Dorr brothers and their scams. Popular mainstream gun advocacy groups are well-aware of this money-making scheme, having often been openly opposed by the Dorr brothers on legislation, and accused of being too soft in their efforts to strengthen gun rights. 

Chris Dorr appears to have taken some initiative to move forward gun legislation in Ohio such as the Permitless Carry Law that went into effect in June. Perhaps his occasional appearances are just enough to maintain the impression with his donors that he’s fully engaged.

But we can be sure that plenty of eyebrows are raised across the nation wondering how exactly donations to these Dorr organizations are being used to effectively preserve and promote Second Amendment rights.

Chris Dorr’s testimony against HJR-1 was just another failure to the detriment of his donors and all freedom loving Ohioans. While our resolution is not gun legislation per se, invoking Article V of the U.S. Constitution represents a safe and legal means of preserving American liberty and protecting it from the very same government overreach that gun groups work to reject.

Ohio’s Convention of States resolution is just the type of legislation legitimate pro Second Amendment groups should be eager to endorse.      

Video of Rep. Matt Windschitl’s powerful 2017 speech:

 

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