at least nine events with Blackwell as the sole invited politician, described as "partisan voter-registration drives," and of distributing biased voting guides. Rev. Russell Johnson, pastor of the Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster, Ohio, defended his actions by saying that the event in question was not a "meet the candidate forum," but rather that he was giving Blackwell "an award for courageous leadership." Blackwell later called the group of 31 pastors "bullies." On April 19, 2006, e-mails sent on behalf of the Blackwell campaign by Rev. Johnson on Easter Sunday, April 16, 2006, were reported by The Columbus Dispatch. Both the Blackwell campaign and Johnson, on behalf of Fairfield Christian Church, denied all wrongdoing. The e-mails in question subsequently were publicized on various online media outlets, clearly showing that the e-mails had been sent from within Johnson's church office on the evening of Easter Sunday to Church personnel and employees of the church-owned Fairfield Christian Academy. As the two churches are 501(c)(3) tax-exempt, not-for-profit organizations, they are explicitly barred from campaigning for, endorsing candidates or "becoming involved in any activity which is beneficial or harmful to any candidate." Johnson and Rev. Rod Parsley, pastor of World Harvest church, have argued that the investigation was politically motivated and violated their constitutional right to free speech. Mark Everson, commissioner of the IRS responded, "you don't have an automatic or constitutional right to a tax exemption, and that's where the line has been drawn." On May 7, 2006, the members of the Lord of Life Lutheran church in Columbus, Ohio, publicly complained that Blackwell's campaign workers placed fliers on the windshields of persons attending the church service on April 30, two days before the May 2 primary. The church pastor, Rev. Jim Wilson, stated "the tactic was offensive and suggested the church was endorsing Blackwell." Wilson said that he had tried to contact the Blackwell campaign in response to the incident but did not get a "satisfactory response." When questioned, Blackwell's campaign said the practice was "standard ... for Republicans and Democrats."> On May 14, 2007, Blackwell was appointed a senior fellow at the well-known conservative religious, political group Family Research Council. Support from pro-gun organizations Blackwell has earned an "A" rating from the National Rifle Association's (NRA) Political Victory Fund. He is a member of the NRA's Board of Directors. Blackwell is also endorsed by the Ohio Gun Collectors Association, Ohioans for