SB 199 (Active Duty Armed Forces Concealed Carry/ Handgun Transfer) scheduled for sponsor testimony in Senate committee

Chairman Kevin Bacon has announced that the Senate Civil Justice Committee will be hearing sponsor testimony on Senate Bill 199 (Active Duty Armed Forces Concealed Carry) today, Wednesday, September 23 at 2:30 p.m.in the Senate Finance Hearing Room.

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.

At the time of its introduction, Senator Uecker told Buckeye Firearms Association "Service men and women fight each day to protect our freedoms. These are our sons and daughters, brothers and sisters, moms and dads. They are constantly on high alert at home and abroad to looming terrorist threats. We need to protect our military members as they have so bravely protected us."

Senator Gardner told Buckeye Firearms Association “We trust members of the armed forces to protect us overseas. It only makes sense that we give them greater opportunity to protect themselves and their families when they are back home.”

We could not agree more. 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 bill 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 sponsors to ensure that the necessary changes are made.

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.