By Tim Inwood

For many years the United States Government could not deprive you of your rights, without due process of law and a felony conviction. However, since the passage of the Lautenberg Amendment in 1996 tens of thousands of Americans have been deprived of their right to keep and bear arms for mere misdemeanors.

House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman Rep. John White's office has been doing a yeomans' job as he works to juggle both the House and Senate versions of Castle Doctrine legislation.

The House version, HB264, has received four hearings in White's committee, and a fifth hearing and possible vote scheduled for yesterday was put off until next week, when the committee will instead take up consideration of the Senate version of Castle Doctrine (SB184), which passed out of the Senate with unanimous support last month.

On Thursday, May 1, the House Criminal Justice Committee held a fourth hearing for House Bill 264, that chamber's version of the Castle Doctrine bill.

The committee adopted amendments to the bill via a substitute bill (which can be downloaded via a link below), essentially modifying the House bill to nearly identical language as the version of Castle Doctrine which unanimously passed in the Senate last month.

Chairman Rep. John White (R-38) has added HB264 to the House Criminal Justice Committee's agenda for Thursday, May 8 at 9:30 a.m. in Statehouse Room 121.

This will be the fifth hearing of the bill by this committee.

The chairman has indicated that the legislation will receive a possible vote!

"We look forward to the House passing their version (HB264), and then taking up the Senate version (SB184), which is pending in the House," said Ken Hanson, Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair. "We have worked from Day One for SB184 to be the vehicle for Castle, and are thrilled the House has already had hearings on their version, which should speed up passage of the Senate version."

Thank you for responding to our call to use our Write to Legislators website feature to contact your legislators. Please encourage your friends and family to support the Constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense by doing the same.

Buckeye Firearms Central Ohio Chair Gerard Valentino testified in favor of HB450 at the House Criminal Justice Committee hearing on Thursday April 17th. The bill, which will give veterans between the age of 18 and 21 the right to own a handgun, was voted out of committee and will now go to the House floor for a vote.

This common sense pro-gun legislation is likely to receive overwhelming bi-partisan support as it makes its way to the governor.

Buckeye Firearms Association is honored to announce our full endorsement of the bill as proposed. Veterans, who give their all to protect our rights, deserve to right to self-defense regardless of whether they are 18, 19, 20 or 35 years-old.

Following is the text of Valentino's testimony as presented to the committee:

Buckeye Firearms Association volunteer Bob Harsanje recently attended the signing ceremony for Senate Bill 209, legislation which will, among other things, create mobility-impaired access lanes on various public hunting lands of the Ohio Division of Wildlife.

The bill also will allow mobility impaired, licensed individuals to hunt from such lanes with a special permit via electric-powered all-purpose vehicles or in a stationary road vehicle.

"This legislation represents a continuation of our efforts to enhance opportunities for persons with disabilities to hunt and fish," said Jim Marshall, assistant chief of the Division of Wildlife.

The House Criminal Justice Committee, chaired by Rep. John White (R-38), will hold a fourth hearing on HB264 (Castle Doctrine), on Thursday, May 1 at 9:30 a.m. in Statehouse Room 121.

The chairman has indicated that a substitute bill may be introduced.

The Senate's version of Castle Doctrine (SB184) passed the Senate earlier this month with unanimous support.

Meanwhile in the Senate, Ohio's "Firearms Modernization" (Concealed Carry Fix-it) bill (SB318), has been added to the Senate Judiciary Committee on Criminal Justice's agenda for Wednesday, April 30 at 10:00 a.m. in the Senate Building's North Hearing Room.

This will be the second formal hearing of the bill by this committee, and is being held for the purpose of considering opponent testimony.

For more information on this legislation, click here.

Thank you for responding to our call to use our Write to Legislators website feature to contact your legislators. Please encourage your pro-self-defense friends and family to do the same.

The following commentary was written in response to a New York Times article entitled "Guns on Campus: Could They Prevent a Repeat?" by David Codrea. Republished with permission.

Interesting take, Mr. Codrea.

I have worked on college and university campuses most of my adult life - first as a student, now as a professor. I have grown quite accustomed to the idea of citizen concealed carry. I know that such policies (now the norm in 48 states) do not increase crime; in contrast, data suggests these allowances deter all but the most brazen (or stupid) criminals. Most importantly, I also realize that criminals can and will carry weapons anywhere they wish, despite the law.

Concealed carry is analogous to driving down the highway. I know that at any moment, any of the thousands of drivers could swerve and kill me head-on. Each one has the potential to kill me, every day. But day after year after decade, they do not. Why not? They are decent people, and well-intentioned, just like you and me. Millions make the "right" choices every day, all their lives. Carrying a firearm is no different.

By L. Dietle

There has been little Second Amendment jurisprudence. In this vacuum, myths were cooked up and circulated to dilute the Amendment's original meaning. In the March 18, 2008 D.C. vs. Heller oral argument at the Supreme Court, these myths were thoroughly debunked by the Supreme Court Justices themselves. If honest, they will overturn D.C.'s functional firearms ban. They should also apply the Second Amendment to the States (incorporation) and establish strict judicial scrutiny.

The Second Amendment was considered a fundamental individual right by those who wrote and ratified the Second and Fourteenth Amendments. A majority of Americans still considers it so today. It would take 3/4ths of the States to amend the Second Amendment out of the Constitution, but that many States filed an Amicus Brief to overturn the D.C. functional firearms ban. A majority of Congress did the same (to see all briefs, click here). The Second Amendment is here to stay.

By Chris Chumita

There are more stories pertaining to our gun rights in Ohio then we can possibly draw attention to with individual daily commentary. But they are all worthy of mention.

What follows is our review of headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.

From a Deputy shooting himself to stolen guns, these articles should be a part of your required reading!

What follows is several days of headlines accompanied by short, concise pro-gun analysis.

House Criminal Justice Committee Chairman John White (R-38) has removed Castle Doctrine legislation from this week's hearing agenda. No reason was given in the announcement, but Buckeye Firearms Association has been informed that the reason was a "bill management issue", and that "there will be a hearing in the near future."

SB184 passed the Senate last week with unanimous support.

The House committee has already held three hearings on a House version of Castle Doctrine (HB264), which was introduced by Rep. Lynn Wachtmann.

The committee is still scheduled to have a third hearing and possible vote on Rep. Bruce Goodwin's HB450, legislation that would restore gun rights to members of the armed services or the Ohio National Guard who are between the ages of 18 and 21.

The hearing is open to proponent, opponent and interested party testimony.

Please continue to use our Write to Legislators website feature to contact your legislators about Castle Doctrine and other Emergency Action Items, and encourage your friends and family to do the same.