The Gongwer News Service is reporting on the second hearing on HB495 (Reciprocity & Concealed Carry Modernization), which was held yesterday before the House Committee on State Government and Elections.
According to the article, gun rights advocates urged members of the committee to ease restrictions on concealed carry licensees, while opponents warned the bill would bring Ohio’s firearm regulations into line with the “lowest common denominator” among states.
National Rifle Association member Omar Ganoom said the legislation (HB 495) would eliminate an onerous and unfair requirement for licensees to undergo competency training for renewing their licenses, he said, noting that there is no similar requirement for drivers’ licenses.
The current competency-training requirement is unnecessary because Ohio already has more stringent standards than most other states, he said. “Once people are properly trained, that training usually stays with you for the rest of your life.”
The measure would also clarify the issue of reciprocity to make it easier for Ohio to recognize the validity of concealed carry licenses issued by other states, he said, noting that currently the attorney general has to work out reciprocity agreements with other states individually. “That will free up the AG to do other kinds of things.”
In addition on driver’s licenses, another strong analogy to the fact that recurrent training is unnecessary, and that proposed changes to reciprocity are reasonable, is the hunting license.
As Buckeye Firearms Association Minute Man Dan Allen observes, “I haven’t been raccoon hunting in 25 years nor have I fired the rifle that I used to for that purpose. To think that I have forgotten the safety rules and how to use the rifle AND read the regulations is absurd. With the level of responsibility that comes with a CHL and the consequences that fall upon a licensee for ignorance of the law…we’re not talking raccoons here…To think they have forgotten how to use the equipment or stay informed of the law is also absurd. Neither is something you forget and the fundamentals almost never change.”
Again, from the account of Ganoon’s testimony:
Mr. Ganoom also urged support for a provision that would address the definition of a loaded weapon in vehicles to “decriminalize the way ammunition is transported.” Ohio law on carrying ammunition in the vehicle has always been problematic for gun owners and is out of line with other states, he said.
Responding to Rep. Kathleen Clyde (D-Kent), Mr. Ganoom said gun owners have to carry their ammunition in a separate locked case from the gun. If a magazine is loaded, it also has to be carried separately, he said. “Having a magazine loaded as opposed to not loaded really isn’t much of a difference.”
The bill would eliminate the unnecessary “technicality,” he said. “Citizens, who are pretty much law abiding, would not be criminalized because they are carrying ammunition in a magazine as opposed to a box.”
Responding to a question from Rep. Tom Letson (D-Warren), Mr. Ganoom said the vehicle provision would apply to all gun owners because concealed carry licensees can already transport loaded firearms in a vehicle legally.
The article continues with details on testimony from other proponents of the legislation.
