Senate Bill 24 has been assigned to the Criminal Justice Committee. We will provide information on the first hearing for SB24 as it becomes available.

This is a VERY good sign that the Senate intends to move this legislation as soon as the House passes it. Senate Bill 130 was never added to a committee schedule in the last General Assembly, and under Dick Finan's leadership, the Senate only moved on CCW reform after it would be too late for the House to reject changes. This year's Senate President, Doug White, has been quoted as saying that body will be ready to act as soon as the House does, and this scheduling lends clear evidence that he means it.

UPDATE! HB12 has been assigned to the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice. It is anticipated that this will become THE vehicle for concealed carry reform in the Senate.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for the list of committee members, their concealed carry reform position, & contact information.

The Ohio Highway Patrol and Gov. Taft waited until HB274's eleventh hour to weigh in on HB274. After nearly two years of opportunity to voice concerns, the OHP announced last December that they would oppose any bill that allowed Ohioans their right to self-defense in a vehicle.

Despite the glaring unconstitutionality of this proposed exclusion, and based on comments already made this session, we believe that Taft and the OHP will again fight to have the denial of self-defense rights in vehicles inserted into HB12.

The burden of proof rests squarely on the OHP/ Taft's shoulders, and they will NEVER be able to deliver. There is NO evidence to support their assertion that law enforcement officers are put at risk by law-abiding citizens carrying concealed firearms in their car. There are no studies, even ones with twisted statistics, that draw this conclusion. How can that be? Because there is NO record of a law enforcement officers having been injured by a CCW permit holder during a traffic stop, anywhere in the 44 CCW states.

We can, on the other hand, offer numerous examples of armed citizens coming to the aid of officers in peril.

Click on the "Read More... link below for some of the many examples of how CCW promotes officer safety.

Gilbert Wingfield and David Hill liked to get together occasionally and talk about old times.

The retirees planned to get together again early Sunday at Hill's apartment on Cleveland's East Side.

But Wingfield never made it. He died just feet from the door of his friend's apartment after being stabbed and robbed.

"He was a good man, a good friend," Hill, 63, said yesterday. "This was just a random act of violence."

He had just slammed shut the door of his 2000 Jeep Grand Cherokee when a neighborhood man walked up to him, took something from Wingfield's hand and stabbed him, police and witnesses said.

Hill said the man, who is in his mid-20s, once lived in a neighboring apartment but moved about a year ago. Police told him the man was high on the drug wet and took money from Wingfield, he said.

Wingfield, a retired truck driver, lived in Moreland Hills. He and his wife of 27 years, Sherry, built a nursery school chain that serves about 300 children.

Meanwhile, in a state that allows its law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense, a different outcome resulted when this Arizona man was confronted by a knife-wielding attacker (and an accomplice!):

Click on the Read More..." link below for the full story.

The Zanesville Times Recorder printed a letter Thursday from OFCC President Jeff Garvas: "Ohio FOP makes false claims about CCW bill"

The quote Garvas references, from FOP spokesperson Mike Taylor, appeared in numerous versions of an article about HB12, which was printed in various central Ohio Gannett-owned newspapers. In each of those articles, Taylor was quoted saying HB12 would allow felons to carry firearms.

This is not a mistake. This is the type of blatant deception that some law enforcement groups have resorted to using in their attempts to scare the public about concealed carry reform.

Thankfully, the Times Recorder let us set the record straight.

Our original story on this issue, with links to the original stories in Gannett papers can be accessed by clicking here.