Silent during Strickland years, Ohio State Highway Patrol inserts itself in concealed carry debate once again

by Chad D. Baus

The Marietta Times is reporting that the Ohio State Highway Patrol (OSHP) is voicing concerns about HB422, legislation that seeks to repeal requirements that a concealed carry licensee inform an approaching law enforcement officer that the licensee is a licensee and is carrying a concealed handgun.

From the article:

House Bill 422, jointly sponsored by Reps. Ron Maag, R-Lebanon, and Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, would amend the current state code to remove a requirement that during a traffic stop drivers must notify police officers if they're carrying a firearm.

"The patrol has concerns from a public safety viewpoint, not only for our officers, but also for motorists and their passengers," said Lt. Anne Ralston, spokeswoman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

She said rules in the state law that govern licensing to carry concealed firearms have been through several changes over the years and HB 422 is the just latest proposal for a change.

"Currently when I have contact with a motorist who has a concealed carry permit, the motorist is required to say 'I'm a concealed carry permit holder' when I approach the vehicle," Ralston said. "The patrol has a primary concern that repealing the requirement could impact officer and driver safety."

She said representatives from the patrol would be making those concerns known to legislators in the next few weeks when hearings on HB 422 are expected to take place.

And so, after sitting on the sidelines for four years under Strickland, the OSHP once again supports restricting your firearm rights, as they so often did during the Taft years.

Again, from the article:

[Bill co-sponsor Rep. Andy] Thompson said the amending legislation is basically focused on preventing confusion for drivers who have permits to carry a concealed weapon.

"Right now the driver has to put both hands on the wheel and announce he has a permit," Thompson said. "We're trying to make the law a little less bureaucratic."

He noted that Ohio is one of only four states that currently have such a mandate.

"For those who have passed the concealed carry permit test and meet the requirements, this could put them in a misdemeanor situation and they could lose their permit," Thompson said, adding that if a driver forgets to tell an officer he has a permit, the officer has the right to cite the motorist and suspend the concealed carry license.

"It streamlines the current law, eliminates unnecessary conflict and prevents the potential loss of concealed carry licenses," he said. "But I would want the support of law enforcement to make this change."

While Marietta Police Chief Brett McKitrick said he, too, had some concerns about the proposal, he also admitted to the newspaper that "everyone who has a concealed carry permit in Ohio knows what to do. We stop many people who have concealed carry permits and they're usually law abiding citizens."

And while Washington County Chief Deputy Mark Warden also expressed concern, he admitted that "anytime an officer approaches a vehicle he's concerned about the possibility of a weapon. It's something you always keep in the back of your mind."

Warden also added that when he pulls a vehicle over for a traffic violation he enters the license plate number into his computer and is immediately notified if the driver has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

"We can also tell by running the registration," he is quoted as saying.

During Democrat Ted Strickland's term as governor, the OSHP was completely silent during debate on concealed carry reform legislation (SB184), which was passed and signed into law, and resulted in several improvements that pertained to license-holders and motor vehicles.

However, the OSHP was a vocal opponent of Ohio's original concealed carry bill (and its predecessors) during the Bob Taft administration, and was used by then-Gov. Taft, a Republican, to explain why he was going back on a campaign promise, saying that he would only support a bill that had OSHP support.

John Born, who was appointed by John Kasich as OSHP superintendent, once acted as the voice of the Taft-era OSHP. On February 13, 2003, Born was quoted as saying "We do not want a loaded firearm readily accessible to the driver of a car. If there's a dangerous situation and you're in your car, you can drive off."

Pro-CCW activists actually started keeping a victim count of all the people who tried to follow his ridiculous advice - and coined a term for what often happened to people who tried to just "drive off" when attacked. We called it "getting Borned."

During the lengthy fight against Born, the OSHP and Taft to get passage of the bill that finally brought concealed carry to the Buckeye State (HB12), at least two men died (see here and here) trying to follow Born's advice.

Born's appointment to the OSHP's top post prompted fears of dark days ahead for pro-gun legislation, and unfortunately, early opposition by the OSHP to HB422 suggests those fears were warranted.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Vice Chairman.