Amended SB184 (Castle Doctrine) Passes Ohio House with a 73-23 vote!

Buckeye Firearms Association applauds the Ohio House of Representatives' 73-23 vote to pass the amended SB184.

SB184 passed the Ohio Senate in April with a 31-0 vote and has now passed the Ohio House in an amended form to include technical corrections and improve laws for law-abiding gun owners in Ohio.

No one rose to speak against the bill. A video archive of the floor debate is available here. (Click here to see how they voted.)

SB184 is now headed back to the Ohio Senate where final approval is expected before summer recess. Once the amended bill is approved in the Senate, it will then go to Governor Strickland for his signature.

"I am proud to support this important legislation that protects gun owners throughout the state of Ohio," Strickland stated. "I look forward to signing these common sense protections into law."

SB184, Ohio's Castle Doctrine legislation, was originally introduced to protect crime victims and restore the presumption of innocence to those forced to act in self-defense.

The amended version contains technical corrections and improvements including:

• Clarification on how persons without a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) can legally transport firearms in an automobile
  
• Allows lawful concealed carry in your home without a Concealed Handgun License (CHL)
  
• Clarifies an unloaded firearm as one with no ammunition in the firearm or in magazines or speedloaders, regardless of where else ammunition is stored
  
• Allows lawful Concealed Carry in retail establishments with a class D6/D8 liquor license (package sales only, not bars/restaurants)
  
• Allows pick up/drop off by CHL holders in school safety zones
  
• Provides for mandatory legal fees for gun owners who require court orders to have firearms returned to them.
  
• Allows lawful Concealed Carry in state owned shelters, restrooms and parking garages.
  
• Decriminalizes Concealed Carry in privately owned parking garages.
  
• Prohibits landlords from prohibiting tenants from owning/carrying firearms
  
• Allows CHL holders to carry firearm in unlocked glove compartment or center console.
  
• Expunged/Sealed records are no longer considered when applying for a CHL.
  
• Written test is no longer required for competency renewal of CHL
  

Several law enforcement agencies strenuously objected to defining a "loaded gun" to mean specifically a gun with ammunition in the gun. They seem to prefer the current confusing and haphazard standard that will be fixed by this bill.

The Ohio Prosecutors Association vehemently objected to the change which will require them to assume crime victims are innocent until proven guilty. They argued to keep in place an unfair system where crime victims must prove their innocence after they successfully stop a violent attack with deadly force. In the past, victims have been presumed guilty until they proved themselves innocent.

SB184 will reduce penalties for good people ensnared by confusing laws. This change focuses our criminal justice system on punishing criminals and removes undue burden from law-abiding gun owners, police, and the general population.

CLICK HERE to download a summary of the amendment.

CLICK HERE to download Amended Substitute SB184.

CLICK HERE to see HOW THEY VOTED.

We are encouraging calls to your State Senator to urge them to vote for SB184.

CLICK HERE to look up your Representatives. We need to make calls and send e-mails to EVERY representative in Ohio.

CLICK HERE to write a letter to your Representatives. Use our pre-written letter or write your own. We'll see it gets delivered.

Media coverage:

• Cleveland Plain Dealer - Ohio House OKs easing up on guns in cars
  

  A bill most Ohio law-enforcement groups and county prosecutor groups tried to shoot down easily cleared the Ohio House Wednesday as backers said the aim was to clarify how people can transport guns.

  By a 73-23 vote, House lawmakers approved the National Rifle Association-backed bill allowing all legal gun owners to carry their weapon in a car. While the gun can't be loaded, the bill's language allows the weapon to be in an unlocked case with the ammunition near at hand.

  The Ohio Senate still needs to agree to the new gun rules before they would go to Gov. Ted Strickland, who is expected to sign them into law.

  ...State Rep. Jim Aslanides, a Coshocton Republican, said the bill was "designed to protect lawful citizens from violations with no intent" by making the current law covering transporting firearms "more user-friendly."

  "I wouldn't stand here today if I thought it put law enforcement in Ohio at risk," Aslanides said.

  Supporters of the measure, including the Buckeye Firearms Association and the NRA, testified during committee hearings that the bill only clarifies current Ohio law that they say is murky and convoluted.

• Middletown Journal - Gun law proposal disputed locally
  

  Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper says a state bill aimed at changing Ohio's conceal and carry law would make prosecutors and law enforcement officials' jobs more difficult when a shooter claims self-defense.

  Major law enforcement groups also said this week that they oppose Gov. Ted Strickland's support of a bill that would allow protection against prosecution for those who kill an attacker in self-defense.

  Under the bill Strickland favors, people who injure or kill an attacker in self-defense no longer would shoulder the burden to prove their actions were justifiable.

  Director John Murphy of the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association said the bill could allow drug dealers to claim self-defense in shootings of rivals in deals that go sour.

  "The people it works to benefit are criminals who ought to be convicted," Murphy said.

  Piper agreed. If the law is changed, the state would have to prove someone claiming self-defense is not telling the truth. "They don't have to prove the reasonableness of their actions."

  ...NRA lobbyist John Hohenwarter countered that the bill would put an end to "people getting dragged into court for defending themselves."

  Butler County Sheriff Richard Jones said the bill does seem confusing, however, "I support the right of people to defend their home and family when they feel threatened."

• WCMH-TV (NBC 4 Columbus) - Self-Defense Castle Doctrine Moves Forward
  

  Self defense or an excuse for murder? It's the question state lawmakers have debated for months when it comes to an intruder storming your home.

  The House approved several Senate amendments on Wednesday and the Castle Doctrine may now become law.

  Senate Bill 184, the conceal carry Castle Doctrine, has a wide range of support in the statehouse, including backing from Ohio's top leader, NBC 4's Matt Alvarez reported.

  "The bill as I understand it, in its current form, is something I will support," said Gov. Ted Strickland.

  ..."The Castle Doctrine essentially states what many believe to be law, the right to protect yourself and your family," said Sen. Keith Faber. "The presumption is if someone is illegally in your home, they're there for a bad purpose."