The Ohio State Highway Patrol is not opposed to the bill that is now headed to Gov. Taft's desk. Neither is the FOP. The state's most powerful law enforcement group, the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, is in full support.

But as we've been warning for months, working to remove opposition from law enforcement groups wouldn't stop Bob Taft's opposition in the end, because he'd find some other way to raise the bar.

December 11, 2003

COLUMBUS - After a decade of hitting a wall in the governor’s office, a defiant General Assembly was poised last night to send Gov. Bob Taft a controversial bill to allow Ohioans to legally carry concealed handguns.

Governor Taft vowed to veto the bill.

A joint House-Senate conference committee, which had been sitting on the bill since late June, voted 5-1 to send both chambers a bill that infuriates not only anti-gun activists but also the most ardent of gun-rights supporters who argue it is too restrictive.

Talks between legislative leaders and Governor Taft’s office fell apart last night, primarily over the issue of whether the list of persons given permits to carry hidden handguns should be public record.

House Speaker Larry Householder (R., Glenford) said he has enough votes to override the veto in the House, but there were questions whether that would also be true in the Senate.

For several years, Governor Taft and Gov. George Voinovich before him have threatened to veto a concealed-carry bill. Mr. Taft has demanded such a bill win the support of law enforcement.

Mr. Taft declined to talk about the discussions yesterday, telling reporters, "You’re trying to uproot the plant while it’s being planted."

The National Rifle Association was pleased that Ohio was heading in the direction of 45 other states in allowing residents to carry concealed guns.

"Some of the provisions are more stringent than in other states, and you’ll have those even in the Statehouse who believe this is too restrictive," said NRA spokesman John Hohenwarter. "But the bottom line is it’s a shall-issue bill: You pass the background check, you meet the training requirements, you get a license....

"That’s what we’ve been trying to do here for 10 years," he said.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

UPDATE: This story has also been picked up by national conservative news and information site Townhall.com.

By Susan Jones
CNSNews.com Morning Editor
December 11, 2003

(CNSNews.com) - A pro-gun group is urging Ohio Gov. Bob Taft to sign a bill that would allow law-abiding citizens to carry concealed weapons.

The bill isn't perfect, said Ohioans for Concealed Carry, but nevertheless, the group believes it will serve as a deterrent to violent crime.

"Ohio's defenseless citizens deserve a law that will allow them the same right to survive a criminal encounter as citizens in every bordering state, and 44 [states] across the nation now enjoy," said Ohioans for Concealed Carry in a press release.

The group points to a series of recent carjacking incidents in Ohio as one of the justifications for allowing people to carry a concealed weapon for defensive purposes.

"We need to give Ohioans the choice to defend themselves," said Jim Irvine, Ohioans for Concealed Carry spokesman.

People applying for concealed carry permits in Ohio would have to undergo training and background checks.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry has staged various "defense walks" in recent months, including one outside the governor's mansion, to rally support for the concealed carry bill that has finally emerged from the State Legislature.

"Ohio is about to finally join the forty-four states who have proven this is sound public policy," said Jeff Garvas, Ohioans for Concealed Carry president, in a press release.

"Recently, the FBI reported that, for the first time in forty years, Michigan's per capita crime rate fell below Ohio's in the wake of passage of their concealed carry law."

Proponents of concealed carry believe Ohio's crime rate will also drop, once the bill is signed into law.

Click here to read the story from the Cybercast News Service.