Castle Doctrine/ Stand Your Ground

House Bill 541 has been added to the House Criminal Justice Committee's agenda for sponsor testimony on March 28 at 2:30 p.m. in the Statehouse Hearing Room 121.

The purpose for Tuesday's hearing is so that the committee may hear testimony on HB541 from the legislation's sponsor, Rep. Steve Buehrer.

For more information on HB541, see: Ohio considers measure to modernize self-defense laws).

Statewide Preemption/Concealed Carry Reform

Sub. House Bill 347 has been added to the Senate Judiciary Committee's agenda for sponsor testimony on March 29 at 9:00 a.m. in the Senate Building's North Hearing Room.

The purpose for Wednesday's hearing is so that the committee may hear testimony on HB347 from the legislation's sponsor, Rep. Jim Aslanides.

For more information on HB347, see: Sub H.B. 347 Introduced (DETAILED SUMMARY).

Buckeye Firearms Association will be on hand in support of both of these pieces of legislation.

Filling hearing rooms as this legislation moves forward will make a serious statement of support. Your continued presence at these meetings is beneficial to the cause. Please consider making the trip to Columbus to be a visible show of support for HB347 and HB541 and their sponsors, Rep. Aslanides and Rep. Buehrer.

By John R. Lott Jr. at JohnrLott.com

Also published Tuesday, March 21, 2006, in National Review Online.

In the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans’ residents got an
idea of what life is like without the rule of law. They had no
telephones, no way to call 911. Even if they had, the police who
reported for duty were busy with rescue missions, not fighting crime.
Citizens had to protect themselves. This was made rather difficult by
the city’s confiscation of guns, even from law-abiding citizens.

After five months of denial in federal district court, the city last
week made an embarrassing admission: in the aftermath of the
hurricane, the severely overworked police apparently had the time to
confiscate thousands of guns from law-abiding citizens.

Numerous media stories have shown how useful guns were to the
ordinary citizens of New Orleans who weren’t forcibly disarmed. Fox
News reported several defensive gun uses. One city resident, John
Carolan, was taking care of many family members, including his three-
year-old granddaughter, when three men came to his house asking about
his generator, threatening him with a machete. Carolan showed them
his gun and they left. Another resident, Finis Shelnutt, recounts a
similar story that the gangs left him alone after seeing “I have a
very large gun.”

Signs painted on boarded up windows in various parts of town warned
criminals in advance not to try: the owner had shotguns inside.

Last September 8, a little more than a week after the hurricane, New
Orleans’ police superintendent, Eddie Compass announced: “No one will
be able to be armed. Guns will be taken. Only law enforcement will be
allowed to have guns.” Even legally registered firearms were seized,
though exceptions were made for select businesses and for some
wealthy individuals to hire guards.

Undoubtedly, selected businesses and well-connected wealthy
individuals had good reason to want protection, but so did others
without the same political pull. One mother saw the need for a gun
after she and her two children (ages 9 and 12) saw someone killed in
New Orleans after the hurricane. The mother said: “I was a card-
carrying, anti-gun liberal — not anymore.”

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