''Working for an 'Idaho F' ''
Gun-control advocates: Ohio fares poorly on firearms safety
Groups give state D-plus for laws protecting children
January 09, 2004
Columbus Dispatch
Even before Ohio legislators passed a law Wednesday allowing people to carry concealed weapons, two of the nation’s leading gun-control groups gave the state a D-plus for its ability to protect children from gun violence.
The organizations lauded Ohio lawmakers for avoiding passage of a conceal/carry bill last year. But this week’s action is expected to give Ohio a failing grade next year.
Gov. Bob Taft signed the bill into law yesterday. The measure takes effect in 90 days, although it might take longer to set up the necessary procedures for Ohioans to obtain permits.
This was the third consecutive year that Ohio got a D-plus on a national report card by the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence and the Million Mom March.
Toby Hoover of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence said Taft’s signing of House Bill 12 "would have taken us down to an F minus."
Minnesota and Missouri both were downgraded when they passed conceal/carry laws.
Ohio’s low rating did not disturb gun-rights advocates.
"I was hoping for an F," said Chad D. Baus, spokesman for Ohioans for Concealed Carry. "The Brady Campaign has a history of giving states with the lowest crime rates and least restrictive gun laws" failing grades.
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The average firearms death rate of youths in the eight states that received an F was 33 percent higher than the average firearms death rate for the 10 states that received an A or a B, according to the report.
Baus said he thinks those figures are inflated by gang violence. [Note from Baus: What I asked the reporter to do was to ask Brady for their definition of "youths", since they are known for stretching the definition to include ages up to 21 or even higher which can include gang offenders. He obviously didn't get their definition, or didn't want to publish it.]
In the 2003 ratings, 23 states scored worse than Ohio.
Ohio’s grade dropped from C-minus in 2000 because a new law gave gun manufacturers immunity from lawsuits by local governments seeking to recover the costs associated with gun violence.
"Surely, Ohio lawmakers can do a better job of protecting children from gun violence," said Lori O’Neill of the Ohio Million Mom March.
"Ohio gets a poor grade this year because state legislators seem more interested in listening to the gun lobby than in keeping families safe from gun violence. Too many parents are still losing their children because of weak gun laws."
Report cards for each of the 50 states can be found on the Internet at www.brady campaign.org.
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