The Ohio Attorney General's office is currently in the process of preparing for the state's new concealed handgun license (CHL) law to take effect on April 7.

One of the first actions by the AG have been to summarize the main provisions of the law, and to answer the most frequently asked questions about how the law will be implemented. This effort has been excellent as a means of putting to rest many of the rumors, fears and difficulties created by the twisted legaleeze in HB12.

In recent days, the AG has begun providing a "Concealed Carry Law Overview" to certified trainers who call with inquiries about how to get a training program started. This document serves as an excellent summary of the basics of Ohio's new CHL law.

The AG's office has also post a new Question & Answer section about Ohio CHL on their website.

CONTACT:
training@ofcc.net
http://www.ohioccwtraining.org

CLEVELAND, Jan 29 – Ohioans For Concealed Carry, Ohio’s largest
grassroots concealed carry rights organization, announced the
formation of the OFCC Education Foundation. The new organization is
responsible for the state’s largest concealed carry training network.

“When we started Ohioans For Concealed Carry our long term plans always
included a focus on providing quality education when the law was
passed,” said Jeff Garvas, president of OFCC. “The education foundation
is our attempt to meet the needs of concealed carry license applicants
while adhering to our strong convictions that quality education is the
key to firearm safety.”

When Michigan passed concealed carry legislation four years ago, nearly
71,000 applicants received training in the first year alone. Ohioans
For Concealed Carry expects the surge to exceed that number due to the
fact that a percentage of Michigan residents already had licenses prior
to their law being reformed.

In anticipation of the need to train literally thousands of potential
applicants, Ohioans For Concealed Carry trained nearly thirty
individuals to become NRA Certified Firearms Instructors last year. The
education foundation will continue that effort this year with instructor
classes being held in Columbus in the near future, and classes in other
cities being added based on student interest.

“The foundation will serve many roles,” said Greg Kopp, chairman of the
training committee. “Our primary goal is to make instructors and
affordable classes available in as many locations throughout Ohio as we
possibly can. Then, as a service to the community, we will make it
possible for non-profit groups, and individual and commercial
instructors to make their class schedules available to students through
our concealed carry training network.”

The concealed carry training network, where students, instructors, gun
range owners, and organized sportsmen clubs can register and find each
other, can be found at www.ohioccwtraining.org. Registration
through the website is always available and takes less than five minutes
to complete.

“We are very interested in hearing from existing OPOTA or NRA
instructors who would like to make a difference, as well as individuals
who would like to be notified when classes are available in their area,”
said Kopp.

###

Ohioans For Concealed Carry was formed in 1999 to reform Ohio's
concealed carry self-defense law. The organization has worked closely
with numerous lawmakers and contributed significantly to language found
in the current law. OFCC is committed to working hard to fix the flaws
in the current law. In addition to being the largest concealed carry
advocate in Ohio, the organization also formed the OFCC Political Action
Committee, credited with numerous political successes in November of 2002.

Whether a student or not, campus journalism is always good for a read...and sometimes good for a laugh. But as we read this story from the student voice of the Ohio State University, we're not laughing at the writer. Instead, we're laughing at Bob Taft's sudden conversion into a concealed carry advocate.

What to do about concealed guns
Taft hopes to ease concerns

The (OSU) Lantern (to read the complete story, free registration is required)
By Julie Slader
January 27, 2004

Gov. Bob Taft intended on taking a bite out of Ohio's crime on Jan. 8, when he signed a legislative bill to legalize the carrying of concealed handguns.

In an effort to prevent crime rates from rising, the Ohio legislature has followed the lead of 45 other states by upholding the Second Amendment as a constitutional right mandated by every law-abiding citizen.

Orest Holubec, spokesman for Taft, said the governor's decision to sign the bill was partially linked to the statistics of declining crime rates in other states.

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