Ohio Gun Owners...

MJ:
Ohio gun owners may not need permits under proposed bill

By Chris Stewart
Staff Writer
COLUMBUS —
Ohioans could carry concealed firearms without a permit if a bill introduced in the Statehouse Tuesday becomes law.

The state would join Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Kansas, Vermont and Wyoming with “constitutional carry,” the term used by proponents of nearly unrestricted gun laws.

The proposed law would allow anyone 21 or older to carry any firearm not banned by state or federal law without a permit. The bill would also prohibit law enforcement from searching and detaining otherwise law-abiding citizens based solely on the possession of a firearm.

Current conceal carry law requires an applicant to have eight hours of firearm training and obtain a permit from a county sheriff. The training requirement was reduced from 12 hours just last month as conservative state lawmakers push to further relax gun laws.

Rep. Niraj Antani, R-Miami Twp., one of the bill’s 20 co-sponsors, said this effort is to allow citizens full exercise of Second Amendment.

“There’s been a movement over decade .. of allowing more and more open gun laws and I think that’s because there’s a recognition that lawful users of firearms use them to defend themselves,” Antani said.

Other local lawmakers supporting the bill include Reps. Wes Retherford, R-Hamilton; Kyle Koehler, R-Springfield; Nino Vitale, R-Urbana; Jim Buchy, R-Greenville; Margaret Conditt, R-Liberty Twp.; Paul Zeltwangar, R-Mason; and Ron Maag, R-Lebanon.

The measure is just the next step in a long line of bills that would expand the presence of hidden, loaded weapons, said Jennifer Thorne, executive director, Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence.

Horne said removing the permitting and training requirements for concealed weapons will put more of the public safety at risk. She said the representatives are taking gun laws in the wrong direction.

“We believe our legislature could do better for Ohio by focusing on common sense regulations such as background checks for all gun sales, and laws that would prevent children from accessing these kinds of weapons.”

Landlords of residential properties would no longer be able to prohibit tenants from possessing firearms under the proposed law, Antani said.

For those of us who believe in constitutional carry, we think that’s wrong,” Antani said. “If you are a tenant you should be able to carry a firearm on those premises and have it in your home in order to protect yourself.”

Thorne said there are examples of ordinarily balanced people with guns who run into a “stresser” that ends tragically with a shooting like a former police officer in Florida charged with second degree murder who allegedly shot a man dead in a popcorn-throwing, texting dispute.

“We have to remember that everyone carrying a gun is a ‘good guy’ right up until the time they aren’t,” she said.

More than 110,000 Ohioans had a license to carry a concealed gun last year, according to and Ohio Attorney General’s Office report. The number of new 2014 applications, 58,066, was a decline from 2013 when new applications spiked at 96,972.

The same law that trimmed the firearms training requirement in March also added reciprocity agreements with five additional states, bringing to 28 the number of other states where a valid Ohio permit holder can legally carry a concealed weapon.

409 wrote: Current conceal carry law requires an applicant to have eight hours of firearm training and obtain a permit from a county sheriff. The training requirement was reduced from 12 hours just last month as conservative state lawmakers push to further relax gun laws.

This will take a lot of money from the wallets of the LEOs and other firearms instructors who make good money on the side during weekends providing the CCW class, but I would bet most of them are in favor of the new bill nonetheless.

409 wrote: “We have to remember that everyone carrying a gun is a ‘good guy’ right up until the time they aren’t,” she said.

I don't believe in insulting people, but that statement is just silly. The risk of 'good guys' turning bad still exists with the current laws. That's exactly why people (good and bad alike) should be able to defend themselves - the police cannot be everywhere. What is say that a police officer doesn't go from "emotionally balanced" to a "stressor" situation in which he or she begins shooting people. Also there are plenty of 'bad guys' that start out as 'bad guys'. These predisposed 'bad guys' don't care that there are laws prohibiting them from possessing firearms - they will get a gun regardless.

Now for the other side of the coin. I am a 2nd amendment supporter all the way, and don't want to see any more gun laws, but I must point out a comparison. To operate an automobile, one must pass both a written and practical application skills test (road test). Safe handling of firearms is not a skill all gun owners naturally possess. So I ask anyone in favor of this new bill: are you also in favor of doing away with driver's licenses?