What SB 184 means to you: Part I – Castle Doctrine
By Jim Irvine
SB184 is 75 pages. It will go into effect on September 9, 2008. This is part of a series of articles looking at specific sections of the bill and how it will affect you. Keep in mind that I am not an attorney and this does not constitute legal advice. It is required that you read the Attorney General guide for concealed carry license holders. I highly recommend “The Ohio Guide to Firearms Laws” by Ken Hanson, Esq. (NOW AVAILABLE: Update for SB184)
Castle Doctrine is arguably the most important part of SB184. Indeed, this was the entire bill when it was introduced. As stand alone legislation it passed the Ohio Senate with a unanimous 32-0 vote. Even if every other improvement were stripped from this bill, this alone would have been a significant piece of legislation.
It is important to note that this section does not apply simply to those with a CHL, or just those who have a gun, but to all law-abiding citizens who are victims of a violent crime. No matter how you choose to defend yourself (including being pacifist), this law is important to you.
President Barack Obama – A Gun Owner’s Worst Nightmare
By Dean Rieck
If you’re not thrilled with the idea of having John McCain as the next President of the United States, you’re not alone. He’s angered gun owners with anti-gun statements and support for so-called “campaign finance reform,” which has done little except limit free speech and curtail grassroots political activism.
But would you prefer President Barack Obama? Obama is without doubt the single most anti-gun candidate to ever seek the office of President. By word and deed, he has consistently, without exception, worked to trash the Second Amendment and do away with guns and gun rights altogether.
I know you might not like either of these candidates. But politics is about dealing with reality. And the reality is this: The next President of the United States will be McCain or Obama.
Does that irritate you? It irritates me. But that’s the way it is.
Buckeye Firearms Association has presented plenty of information about John McCain and his less than perfect record on gun rights. He has called for GOP “tolerance” for closing so-called gun show loopholes, supported bans on “cheap guns” and certain assault weapons, and wanted safety locks on some guns.
But he’s not a hopeless case. He voted against holding gun manufacturers liable for gun crimes, voted against the Brady Bill, voted against background checks at gun shows, and opposed D.C.’s gun ban.
Whatever you think of John McCain, he’s not a gun owner’s worst nightmare. Barack Obama is.
Ohio lawmakers: Better to slowly burn a child to death than to shoot her with a gun
By Gerard Valentino
Senate Bill 348, designed to add an additional 10 years to a prison sentence if a gun is used to cause injury to or death of a child, was introduced recently by Senator Eric Kearney (D-9). Senators Sue Morano (D-13), Teresa Fedor (D-11), and Capri Cafaro (D-32) have signed on as co-sponsors.
The bill, which Buckeye Firearms Association strongly opposes, is another example of the legislature trying to make an existing crime more illegal.
Killing someone with a baseball bat, hammer or even a car leaves the victim dead. The person committing the crime is still a murderer and the family of the victim will still grieve. Just because a gun might be involved in the crime is irrelevant.
Progress: We can only move forward together
By Tim Inwood
In the past four years, gun owners in Ohio have made amazing strides forward. After years of battling for concealed carry, we finally won in 2004. In 2006, we won major reforms with HB347. This year, we not only won the uphill battle for Castle Doctrine but many other important amendments were added that improved what was already a pretty good piece of legislation. We even saw passage of laws to help handicapped hunters with access to public grounds, so they too could enjoy the time-honored tradition of taking to the field for the hunt. As a group, the gun owning fraternity in Ohio has truly enjoyed advancement in our goals.
That said, there are additional things that need to be done. Granted, some of the needed changes are in Columbus, but I want to talk about something each and every one of us can do.
Trust your fellow gun owner.
Safe Streets In Ohio: Bureaucrats Consulting Bureaucrats
Editor’s Note: The following article was published before the outcome of efforts to pass SB184 was known. However, the subject matter is still worth examining because there will no doubt be another day where legislators are tempted to listen to bureaucrats (or the press) instead of the will of the people.
In opposing the Castle Doctrine in Ohio, police are opposing Safe Streets.
By John Longenecker
Some of our public officials need a civics lesson, and then to re–apply for the job all over again. The first thing is to understand where they have standing and where they do not have standing.
The Castle Doctrine is making its way through due process now in Ohio, perhaps to be the twenty-first state to adopt it.(see Internet Search Term Castle Doctrine)
If one believes Law Enforcement’s job is to fight crime by arrest, deterrence, interdiction, administration of justice and cooperating with the public, then Command cannot oppose the people. Opposing laws which officially recognize Citizen Authority is to oppose the people they serve, where service has been forgotten and become self-serving in too many cities. The idea that police would oppose the Castle Doctrine in protecting their own prestige over safe streets is a nationwide scandal. Their job is to enforce the law, not make it.
Of Mice and Men
By Breda of The Breda Fallacy
One day last winter, I pulled on my boots, buttoned up my coat and went out into the snow to fill the birdfeeder. We kept the seed in a large bucket in the garage and when I went to scoop some out to carry to the feeder, I noticed that the supply was running low. It was dark in the garage and even darker in the bottom of the bucket. I tipped the bucket a little and was startled to hear a faint skittering noise inside. I looked in…a brown field mouse was trapped down at the bottom of the bucket! My first surprised thought was “eek!”, quickly followed by “awwww, cute! mousie!” And as I squatted down next to the bucket to get a better look at my new furry friend…
…the mouse growled at me.
It was a small sound, barely audible, and if the world hadn’t been so hushed and muffled under its thick blanket of snow, I might not have heard it. I went very still, holding my breath – I heard it again.
Trapped in the bucket and cornered by a large seemingly menacing creature, the tiny mouse, somehow realizing that flight was impossible, decided to fight for its life.
Attorney General announces First Quarter 2008 CHL statistics
The Ohio Attorney General’s office has released the concealed handgun license (CHL) statistics for the first quarter of 2008. The numbers indicate demand is strong and increasing.
Demand for initial CHL’s surged 28% compared to year earlier data. This represents the forth quarter in a row that demand has exceeded the year over year numbers. The 6,834 regular licenses issued bring the latest four quarter total to 23,851. To find four consecutive quarters with a higher total number of CHL’s issued, you have to start with the last quarter of 2004, starting when the shall issue law was less than six moths old!
Ohio is home to America’s “World Series of Shooting Sports”
By Chad D. Baus
Each summer, the world’s finest civilian and military marksmen and women square off for five weeks of rifle and handgun competition in a variety of formats and events right here in the Buckeye State.
This year marks the 101st running of the National Matches, for which so many shooters have embarked on an annual pilgrimage to Camp Perry, Ohio, on the shores of Lake Erie near Port Clinton.
What thousands of others drive across country or fly around the world for, we are blessed as Ohioans to have literally right in our backyard.
If you enjoy the shooting sports to even the smallest degree, then there is simply no excuse for not making the short drive to the National Matches, whether you plan to go as a spectator, a volunteer, or a competitor.
Women Are Filling Handgun Classes; Surveys Show Personal Protection A Big Motivator
NEWTOWN, Conn – The old adage, “God made men; Sam Colt made them equal,” applies to women, too.
Women across the country are packing classes where they learn about all aspects of handgun ownership. One of the main reasons for attending these classes, they say, is to learn more about how to take charge of their own safety.
Carol, a thirty-something mother from Connecticut, explained her participation in a class: “My husband convinced me that it would be to my benefit to learn how to use a handgun. The experience actually opened up a whole new world for me. I’m really enjoying shooting and learning about different calibers and actions — not to mention getting to spend more time with my husband.”