Chairman White on Castle Doctrine: Committee vote Tuesday, Floor vote Wednesday, Senate vote "soon after"

According to comments made to the press by House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John White (R-38), the hundreds if not thousands of calls and letters that have poured into the Statehouse over the weekend have been heard.

White told the Dayton Daily News Saturday that a vote would be taken in committee on Tuesday, followed by a floor vote by the House on Wednesday, and a Senate concurrence vote "soon after".

What White has not yet indicated is the final form Buckeye Firearms Association- and NRA-backed amendments will take.

From the story:

The legislation is part of Senate Bill 184 and would allow registered handgun owners to carry unloaded firearms and ammunition in their vehicles. The National Rifle Association is pushing the proposal.

"All this does is provide another loophole for people to carry firearms in their cars," Dayton police union President Lt. Randy Beane said.

"This means you can have a gun in the seat next to you and the ammo right beside it. This puts officers and the public more at risk."

Current legislation makes it illegal to transport a handgun and ammunition without a conceal-and-carry permit.

In truth, this part of the amendment would simply fix a drafting error that was made when Ohio's concealed carry law was passed in 2004, as well as to specify that the definition of a loaded gun means just that - "loaded".

The legislature never intended to make it impossible for gun owners to transport unloaded handguns in a motor vehicle in Ohio, and indeed that is just what Buckeye Firearms Association has been warning is "The biggest legal threat you didn’t know you were facing."

Proponents of the legislation said it is intended to protect law-abiding citizens who wish to use their firearms in a lawful way, such as hunters, gun lovers and sport shooters.

"How many times have (police officers) found a criminal carrying an unloaded gun?" said Jim Irvine, a spokesman for the Buckeye Firearms Association, which helped craft the legislation. "If someone is intending to commit a crime, they aren't thinking of the law to begin with. They are going to do it no matter what the law says."

The proposal would also allow off-duty officers to carry guns inside bars and prevent law enforcement from seizing legal guns during government-declared emergencies.

Some law enforcement officers aren't too concerned about the change, agreeing with Irvine that those who commit gun violence disregard the law as it is now.

"It's not going to impact the way we conduct our business," Dayton police Sgt. Chris Williams said. "Law-abiding citizens are not our problem."

And once again, we see the difference between an out-of-touch, elitist labor union president and a rank and file officer who is actually out on the beat.

Chairman White told the Daily News the bill is expected to pass out of his committee today, May 27, and head to the House for a vote on Wednesday. White also said he expects Senate approval soon after. Governor Strickland already said he would sign the bill into law with amendments as originally proposed.