OHIOANS FOR CONCEALED CARRY APPLAUDS CONCEALED CARRY REFORM PASSAGE

COLUMBUS - Jan. 7, Ohioans for Concealed Carry (OFCC) is pleased that House
Bill 12 is finally going to become law. We support the passage of a concealed carry law as a vital deterrent to violent crime.

With recent news about Ohio's skyrocketing crime rate this legislation is long
overdue. 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 across the nation now enjoy.

The rash of carjacking incidents, including the one that took Tony Gordon's
life while his 13 year-old nephew watched in horror, need to stop. Allowing
people the choice to defend their life in a car is vital to the success of
concealed carry reform.

"In the wake of Tony Gordon's carjacking murder in Dayton, we've been collecting money for a two-year old girl who will never know her father. Tony's death proved people can't 'just drive away' when attacked in their cars," observed Jim Irvine, OFCC spokesman. "We have long fought to give Ohioans back the choice to defend themselves. They will now have that choice."

OFCC remains opposed to many Senate amendments to HB12, including the recent compromise language which would give the media access to private information of those who obtain licenses.

"A number of concessions were made in the Senate that we know from experience
in other states will reduce the crime-deterrent impact of this bill," observed
Jeff Garvas, President of OFCC. "We don't like the amendments, but we realize
that, due to a few term-limited Republican Senators unwilling to override
the governor, the compromise was necessary to be able to get a law."

Rep. Jim Aslanides, R-Coshocton, who sponsored the bill, was unhappy with the concession but said he would agree to it in order to get a bill passed.

"We were engaged in rare procedural moves, due to Taft's changes in commitment to sign the concealed carry bill that was not opposed by law enforcement. We sacrificed our principles to be diplomatic, in order to get a concealed carry law for Ohioans. We will now prove that CCW works, and work to make it better in future legislation," said Aslanides.

While there are many problems with this bill, it will allow law-abiding
citizens who have undergone extensive training and background checks to be
issued a license to carry a firearm for defensive purposes.

OFCC is encouraged that grassroots Ohio is finally being heard. The twenty-plus 'Defense' Walks, including one in December at the Governor's Mansion, combined with a coalition of more than one quarter of a million Ohioans,
demonstrate the broad-based support of a concealed carry reform law.

"Ohio is about to join the rest of the country by allowing its citizens
to choose if they need to carry a firearm for self defense," said Garvas. "We are thankful for the leadership of Speaker Larry Householder, and for the hard work of many in the General Assembly. Our volunteers have spent nearly five years working for this day."

Information related to available training classes and how to apply for a
license will be available online soon at www.OhioCCW.org.

-------------------------

READ ALL ABOUT IT!

A DECADE IN THE WORKS

HOW WE GOT HERE

VOTE TALLIES!

Watch passage of the law in General Assembly via Real Audio:
House --- Senate

FINAL REVISION

By JOHN McCARTHY
The Associated Press
1/8/2004, 12:39 a.m. ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Gun owners who have waited years for the ability to carry hidden weapons will come back to the Legislature to gain back the concessions that helped the bill pass and made it attractive to Gov. Bob Taft, a lawmaker who opposes the idea says.

The Legislature on Wednesday approved the bill and sent it to Taft, who said he would sign it. The Senate vote was 25-8, and the House vote was 69-24. The vote marked the first time the Legislature and the governor's office have agreed to a deal after a decade of debate on the highly contentious issue.

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

Govenor Taft's office says today that while overall calls have been heavily weighted in favor of concealed carry, today the calls are more evenly balanced. We hope they're asking what state the callers are phoning from, because this latest desperate plea is attempting to rally opponents from the most liberal corners of our country.

Jointogether.org (funded by well-known foundations dedicated to banning firearms from all Americans)

1/6/04

Action Alert
Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence
P.O. Box 1078
Toledo, OH 43697
Phone: 419-244-7442
www.ohioceasefire.org

The Ohio House and Senate members that have been determined to pass CCW have today used procedures to find a way to amend the passed bill and put on the Governor's desk.

The House this afternoon rescinded their vote on HB 12 to send it to conference committee and the Senate is expected to do the same. According to some news reports the Governor has said he will sign the bill if they amend it to give access to permit holders names.

The public records request by the Governor began as a request for records to open to the public.

The amendment is reported to be some kind of compromise to allow news reporters ONLY to ask for the information from the sheriff.

The gun lobby has used the holidays to convince the legislature to accept anything in order to get a bill passed. The gun lobby will then come back year after year until they can amend the law to their liking.

GOVERNOR TAFT NEEDS TO HEAR FROM YOU TODAY THAT YOU WANT A VETO. If he doesn't VETO, CCW will be law by the end of this week.

614-466-3555

Lawmakers may pass conceal-carry bill today; enactment would take 90 days

Columbus Dispatch
January 07, 2004

Qualified Ohioans should be able to carry concealed handguns by summer.

In a historic breakthrough, state legislators and Gov. Bob Taft reached a tentative agreement yesterday on the long-stalled proposal. The measure would allow disclosure of the names of people with permits to carry concealed handguns, solving the last issue blocking enactment of House Bill 12.

Opponents immediately raised the possibility of a statewide November referendum on the bill.

The House, which had wanted to keep the names of permit-holders private, yielded to Taft and the Senate and rescinded its Dec. 10 approval of the bill. The Senate is expected to do likewise today, after which the proposal would be sent back to a House-Senate conference committee and reconsidered by both chambers later in the day.

Taft said he would sign the revised bill if it contained the provision requiring county sheriffs to give the list of permit-holders to journalists who request it in writing. The bill requires sheriffs to maintain such lists.

"At this point, I’m hopeful it would pass," said Taft, who had warned he would veto the bill passed Dec. 10 by the House and Senate because it would have allowed journalists to obtain permit-holders’ names only on a case-bycase basis if they could show it would be in the public interest.

"It would be good to get this bill finally enacted."

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