2017 mid-year Ohio pro-gun rights legislative report

Ohio, like the Federal government has two year legislative sessions. With six months now completed, it is a good time to give a progress report and see how we are doing.

At the end of last session, we saw a flurry of activity in the "lame duck" session. Unfortunately, there were many loose ends left, and gun owners were frustrated. With a returning Speaker of the House and Governor, and a new Senate President, many thought it would be a tough session. But we had strong majority of “A” rated and BFA-endorsed candidates and great leadership, so there was reason for hope too. In politics, sometimes it all comes down to tangential issues and personal relationships.

In the first six months, how many “gun bills” were presented to the Governor? Zero. As of June 30, none have even cleared the first chamber or had a committee vote. Some see this as a sign of failure, but they would be very wrong.

We saw a plethora of good bills introduced:

• HB 142 (Wiggam) (Repeal LEO notification)
• HB 201 (Hood) (Constitutional Carry)
• HB 228 (Johnson & LaTourette) (Concealed Carry Modernization)
• HB 233 (Becker) (DEFEND Act: Decriminalization Effort for Ending Notorious Deaths) (Eliminate felony penalties for CHL minor infractions)

There has also been discussion on issues such as:

• Updating Ohio’s definition of a shotgun to align with BATFE rulings
• Updating Ohio’s knife laws
• Updating Ohio’s preemption statute
• Safe harbor provisions
• Many other smaller, but important issues to update Ohio law to common/best practice

For the first time since Governor Strickland, there was something in the budget bill for gun owners: an improvement to the language that protects employees with a CHL from discrimination by their employer, and grant money for school safety.

From the LSC comparison document, the budget:

1. Creates a civil cause of action against a business entity, property owner, or employer who establishes, maintains, or enforces a policy that prohibits a valid concealed handgun licensee from transporting or storing a firearm or ammunition in the person's privately- owned motor vehicle in accordance with existing law conditions.
2. Replaces the Senate provision with a provision that limits the court to granting injunctive relief it finds appropriate.

While this is an important improvement, we still don’t think it adequately protects employees who are being unjustly discriminated against by their employer. We continue working with legislators and anticipate more legislation. We thank those businesses who have policies that are so absurd that legislators are increasingly siding with us in seeing a need for more control over unacceptable policies.

The budget also contains grant money for school safety that will allow for safer schools and keep Ohio leading the nation in terms of school safety. The grant is broken down to two buckets; one for trauma equipment and the other for FASTER Saves Lives training. Combined, these grants amount to $100,000 per year. This money will allow schools who place a priority on safety to obtain the required equipment and training to save lives in the case of a trauma injury.

We expect this to be another good week for law-abiding gun owners. Stay tuned to our website for updates.

Discussions will continue with legislators and other interested parties over the summer. We always strive to reach agreement with other groups, especially law enforcement. Reaching agreements allows us to work with the legislature on a united front and bring about laws that allow police to apprehend bad guys, and allow good guys to defend ourselves from those police have not caught yet.

With legislators soon to be home in district for summer recess, make sure to thank them for their support in the first six months of the session and let them know your priorities for the remainder of the year.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Foundation President, BFA PAC Chairman and recipient of the NRA-ILA's 2011 "Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award" and the CCRKBA's 2012 "Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award."