House Bill 12 receives fifth hearing in Senate committee

Representatives from Ohioans For Concealed Carry and OFCC PAC were on hand today at the Statehouse, as HB12 received it's fifth hearing in the Senate Committee on Criminal Justice.

A summary of the hearing may be accessed by clicking on the "Read More..." link below.

Women have obviously gotten the message that the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence is claiming concealed carry reform is just a male issue.

Four women testified yesterday as supporters of HB12, and three more came to testify at today's hearing.

• Debby Westfall, testified in support of HB12 as "a Homemaker, a Wife, Mother of 3 wonderful boys, a PTA executive board member, D.A.R.E. Delegate, Chairman for the fundraiser “Hunt For A Cure – Buckeye Style” for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation in central Ohio, and as a member of Ohioans For Concealed Carry." Westfall's testimony focused on the fact that with an average of 2.5 officers per 1000 people nationwide, law enforcement cannot possibly protect every citizen. She told Senators that "this issue MOST DEFINITELY concerns women, and [I] resent any assertion to the contrary." She closed by asking the Senate committee that since so many other states recognize the right to self-defense, "is the value of my life dictated by where I choose to live? Of my son’s lives?"

• Suzanne McComas testified as private investigator that works on "cold cases" for law enforcement. Her testimony focused on the fact that every person will not carry for self-defense, but that "everyone deserves to have the right to choose." She gave three examples of defenseless women being victimized at their jobs, or in parking lots, and she finished by rebutting testimony from an anti-self-defense witness* who claimed the answer for women lies in obtaining restraining orders. “You can quote all of the dry statistics that you want, if you are the victim, it doesn’t mean anything,” she told Senators.

• A very astute, confident and articulate home-school student named Amanda Cassill also offered testimony in support of HB12. In her testimony, Amanda contrasted two stories, one about a license-holder who defended 20 lives, versus the woman in the Texas Luby's who watched her parents be killed, defenseless because Texas' law then mandates being unarmed in restaurants. She finished her testimony with a great defense of the Second Amendment, complete with quotes from our Founding Fathers. Kent State Prof. Mark Cassell could do well to listen to this home-schooler, and Amanda should be proud of herself!

*Several anti-self-defense extremists were in attendance at today's hearing, including the Cleveland chapter president of the Million Mom March, and a spokesperson for the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence. Extensive coverage is being given by Gannett News Service to the small minority of opponents at Tuesday's hearing. We expect more of the same for Wednesday's witnesses, and thus will not labor to transcribe all the blather here.

Because of an overwhelming response to the call for witnesses, overflow hearings will be held next week, on Tuesday and Wednesday.