by Chad D. Baus

When it comes to reforming the state's concealed carry laws, the buck stops with a few unelected state employees. This according to Republican leadership in the Ohio Senate, and Gov. Bob Taft.

According to media reports, Senate President Doug White has refused to appoint conferees to a committee to work out differences between the House and Senate's versions of HB12. He says the House needs to do it's negotiating with Gov. Taft. But Gov. Taft says he won't budge on his "Car-jacker Protection" provision because the Ohio State Highway Patrol wants it in the bill.

The end result is, Gov. Taft and the Senate are handing unelected bureaucrats absolute legislative authority when it comes to the self-defense rights of Ohioans.

Talk about your inappropriate involvement by a special interest lobbying group.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol employs under 1500 troopers, which have, to our knowledge, never been polled on their opinion regarding concealed carry reform. The OSHP has law enforcement jurisdiction only on state roads and interstate highways.

On June 20, the editor of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Doug Clifton, wrote and published a column that contained about as much truth as we now know was contained in articles by New York Times reporter Jayson Blair.

Clifton told Plain Dealer readers that HB12 "exempts all gun licensing information from the state's open records laws" and that "the state wants to...prevent you from knowing ...a single thing about any part of this potentially lethal power."

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

A number of excellent letters to editor have appeared across the state in recent days. Apparently these pro-self-defense letter writers have a better handle on the facts surrounding the concealed carry reform debate than does their Governor.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for summaries and links to the letters.