Now that the dust is beginning to settle after the rapid-fire passage of House Bill 12 last week, people are beginning to settle in and answer the question: just what type of concealed carry law did we wind up with in Ohio?

In many respects, the answer is not all too pretty. There are many aspects which, by diminishing the number of licenses obtained, will lessen the downward pressure on crime, and which must therefore be fixed with future legislation.

But in a victory which contradicts critics like Senator Eric Fingerhut, who charged that the gun lobby was willing to accept anything to get a law, many are just now learning of some of the very best news about HB12 - the fact that Ohioans For Concealed Carry was successful in getting the now infamous "carjacker protection" provision, as well as the "off-person" provision, removed from language addressing how licenseholders may carry in motor vehicles.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for a history of these provisions, and for news on how our (your!) efforts were successful in getting them removed.

In the hours since HB12 became law, OFCC has literally been overrun by requests from persons interested in receiving training, so that they may apply for a license the first day the applications hit their county sheriff's office.

After years of being forced by law to be defenseless, we certainly understand the enthusiasm. But there are many unanswered questions in terms of what current training will be able to serve as acceptable in terms of qualification. Both the Ohio Attorney General and Ohio Peace Officer Training Council, working with the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, have some serious work to do to pave the way for trainers to have the right information and resources in place to comply with the new law.

Until they act, please keep the phrase "buyer beware" in mind when considering any advertisement of "Ohio CCW training".

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