Representatives Bubp and Martin Provide Testimony on Restaurant Carry Bill

Buckeye Firearms Association leader Linda Walker was in attendance Thursday, November 5, as State Representatives Danny R. Bubp (R-West Union) and Jarrod B. Martin (R-Beavercreek) gave sponsor testimony in support of House Bill 203 before the Public Safety and Homeland Security Committee. The bill would allow Ohioans who possess a concealed carry permit to go into restaurants with a liquor license, so long as the person carrying the weapon is not consuming alcohol.

Under current law, a concealed carry licensee wanting to patronize a restaurant that serves alcohol must secure his firearm in his vehicle, leaving the weapon vulnerable to theft.

"Ohio is one of only eight states that prohibit individuals with a concealed carry license from carrying in a restaurant where liquor is served," Bubp said. "A licensed individual can have a cheeseburger and fries at McDonald's while legally carrying a firearm, but if he has a cheeseburger and fries at the Applebee's across the street, he is committing a felony."

In his testimony, Martin illustrated the need for the bill by referring to a case in Tennessee this past April where a man was brutally gunned down in front of his wife, who had her concealed permit but was unable to bring her gun into the establishment because it is prohibited under Tennessee law.

"House Bill 203 gives responsible citizens a choice that Mrs. Goeser did not have," Martin said in his testimony. "It gives them the peace of mind in knowing that they possess a deterrent force and it allows our citizens the opportunity to protect themselves and potentially prevent cases of violence like what was encountered that night in Tennessee."

Currently, 42 other states including all those bordering Ohio allow their citizens to carry in a restaurant that has a liquor license.

"This is simply a common sense, necessary fix to Ohio's concealed carry laws," Martin said. "When it comes to having a responsible armed citizen or an armed criminal next to me in a restaurant where alcohol is permitted to be served, I know which one I would feel safer standing next to."