Pro-gun rights bills scheduled for proponent testimony in Senate committee

Chairman Kevin Bacon has announced that the Senate Civil Justice Committee will be hearing proponent testimony on Senate Bill 180 (Protect Workers' Constitutional Rights) and Senate Bill 199 (Active Duty Armed Forces Concealed Carry/ Handgun Transfer) on Wednesday, October 7 at 2:30 p.m. in the Senate Finance Hearing Room.

Any persons who are interested in testifying are welcome to contact Jim Irvine ([email protected]) for help in preparing and coordinating your testimony.

SB 180, sponsored by Senator Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township), seeks to prohibit employers from discriminating against workers exercising constitutional rights.

Ohio is an “at will” employment state, meaning that workers can be fired for any reason, or no reason. There are many protected classes or exemptions to the general rule. A person may not be fired because of race, color, religion, sex or many other factors deemed inappropriate to discriminate against. SB 180 adds exercise of a “constitutional or statutory right” to the list.

Everyone agrees that private property rights are important. They are better respected under Uecker’s bill than in current law. The employer’s property rights are supreme inside the employers building. The employee’s property rights should be supreme inside the employee’s private vehicle.

It is puzzling how anyone who claims to respect private property rights would not support this bill. To them, Jim Irvine, President of Buckeye Firearms Association poses the question, “Under what conditions does an employer have a right to dictate what private property is inside a private vehicle when they are not on company time, not in a company vehicle, and not on company property? Yet that is the only possible result 'no guns' policies can have as employees are forced to travel to and from work unarmed.”

Over 20 states have already adopted similar laws, which have been upheld in multiple court challenges.

SB 199, sponsored by Senators Joe Uecker (R-Miami Township) and Randy Gardner (R-Bowling Green), seeks to specify that an active duty member of the U.S. Armed Forces: (1) does not need a concealed handgun license to carry a handgun concealed if the member is carrying valid military identification and a certificate indicating successful small arms qualification; and (2) may be sold or furnished a handgun if the member has received military or equivalent small arms training.

SB199 was introduced in the wake of the terrorist attack on two military recruiting facilities in Chattanooga, TN last July.

Disarming our military members has had the most severe unintended consequences. It is unconscionable that the very men and women who carry arms to protect our nation in foreign lands are denied the basic right of self defense on American soil.

Our service members and combat-tested veterans are trusted around the world to bring piece to war torn areas. They must be trusted with firearms here too, so that others cannot wage war on them on their bases, recruiting centers or anywhere else.

There are changes that need to be made to the SB 199 in committee. For example, as introduced, the proposed bill would still restrict these active-duty service men and women from carrying the exact place they are most likely to be attacked - at work in a government building. Buckeye Firearms Association will be working with the committee to ensure that the necessary changes are made.

Again, any persons who are interested in testifying are welcome to contact Jim Irvine ([email protected]) for help in preparing and coordinating your testimony.

Buckeye Firearms Association maintains a vigilant watch on gun legislation in Ohio. As legislation is introduced in the Ohio House or Senate, we will evaluate it and post information here.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.