Buckeye Firearms Association is pleased to announce that SB239, introduced this week by Senator Shannon Jones and Senator Tim Schaffer to allow citizens who hold a valid concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a firearm in restaurants, and to reduce burdensome restrictions regarding how a license holder must transport a firearm in a car, has received a committee assignment.

Columbus' NBC affiliate, WCMH, is reporting that another Ohio concealed handgun license-holder was able to protect himself from an attempted robbery.

The Mansfield News-Journal is reporting that the influx of new concealed handgun licenses comes as the image of the average gun owner -- a middle-aged man -- is changing.

By Chad D. Baus

All too often, it is apparent in news articles involving the Second Amendment, guns, concealed carry, hunting and shooting rights, gun control, etc. that the writer is completely unfamiliar with the subject.

When an Ohio radio show producer began working on a story about the U.S. Supreme Court case McDonald v. City of Chicago, she decided that she would not only use the suit as an opportunity to learn more about Ohio's firearm laws, but also as an opportunity to overcome her fear of guns.

By Gerard Valentino & Chad D. Baus

Despite suffering legislative loss after legislative loss over the past several years, Toby Hoover, seemingly the lone voice of Ohio's anti-gun movement, continues her crusade to destroy gun rights in Ohio.

In her most recent comments, published by the Mansfield News, Hoover accused the pro-gun movement of using a culture of fear to foist concealed carry on Ohioans. She also singled out Buckeye Firearms Association as having attacked her unfairly.

Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) today announced that a bill refining concealed carry statutes has been introduced in the Ohio Senate. The bill is designed to update Ohio's current concealed carry laws to make them more consistent with those in other states.

Senator Shannon Jones (R-Springboro) and Senator Tim Schaffer (R- Lancaster) introduced SB239 which will allow citizens who hold a valid concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a firearm in restaurants. To do so, license holders may not consume any alcohol and must not be under the influence of alcohol or drugs. According to OpenCarry.org, 42 states (including every state that borders Ohio) allow non-drinking license holders to carry firearms in restaurants.

The Jones/Schaffer bill also reduces burdensome restrictions regarding how a license holder must transport a firearm in a car. Currently, Ohio is the only state to place such complex limitations on license holders. Violation of these restrictions can result in felony charges that are mostly of an "administrative" nature and do not involve any intent to do harm. Still, violation of these complex rules can result in costly court proceedings and incarceration for the license holder.

A recent spate of crime on the campus The Ohio State University has brought the question of campus security once again to the forefront. And a letter to the editor of the OSU Lantern reveals that at least one college student has a better grasp on the problem than many legislators who spend their time just down the road from his campus.

By Dave Yost

It will be a long time before Second Amendment rights are finally treated with the same respect as the rest of the Bill of Rights. But we continue to tip-toe toward intellectual consistency, and the Ohio General Assembly will soon have an opportunity to take another small step.

The issue is called restoration, and I'm told a bill will soon be introduced to address it. The specifics of that bill should be debated vigorously, but the problem it's designed to fix should be fixed.

Under Ohio law, you lose certain rights when you're convicted of a crime - for example, felony prisoners cannot vote, and even a non-violent conviction can keep you from owning a gun. You're supposed to be able to get your rights back if a judge says it's OK - but in Ohio, that doesn't include your Second Amendment rights.

By Chad D. Baus

Toledo media are reporting that another Ohio concealed handgun license-holder has defeated an armed criminal and protected lives.

Police say that at 12:30 PM on Friday afternoon, the owner of Allied Music in Toledo, who has an Ohio concealed handgun license, was forced to shoot a man who entered the store, waived a gun around and then held it to a clerk's head.