Bloomberg meddles as Ohio judge extends restraining order barring enforcement of local gun control

A Franklin County judge has extended a temporary restraining order halting enforcement of two gun ordinances in Columbus while he considers a suit filed by Buckeye Firearms Association and Ohioans For Concealed Carry.

From the Columbus Dispatch:

After arguments for and against the injunction Monday, Franklin County Common Pleas Court Judge David E. Cain extended the temporary order. He is expected to decide on the injunction before that order expires.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry and the Buckeye Firearms Foundation sued the city last month. They argued that Columbus violated state pre-emption laws by banning bump stocks, which effectively convert semiautomatic firearms to full automatic fire, and by instituting an ordinance that makes carrying a gun while under disability a misdemeanor.

Columbus City Council passed a broader package of laws designed to curb gun violence in May.

Ohio’s pre-emption law prohibits cities from regulating guns or other matters in which the state determines that there is a need for a uniform, statewide, law, but Columbus officials said the law doesn’t cover its ordinances.

The city has pointed out that the state’s law doesn’t account for firearm “accessories,” which is how Columbus classifies bump stocks. The misdemeanor weapons under disability ordinance mirrors federal law, but the city cannot legislate felony offenses.

Also in the article, City Attorney Zach Klein (D) is quoted as accusing pro-gun rights advocates of believing that death from domestic violence "just doesn’t matter." Not only is the accusation absurd, but Klein of course failed to explain how banning bump stocks or imitation guns or having city code simply mimic state laws already on the books is meant to curb domestic violence in the first place.

Equally absurd is the fact that former New York mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg is once again appearing as the Great Oz behind the curtain, seeking to meddle with the Second Amendment rights of Ohioans.

Again, from the Columbus Dispatch:

A national group that supports more gun regulation is backing Columbus as it fights a lawsuit from gun-rights groups that sued the city over firearms restrictions enacted this year.

Everytown for Gun Safety, co-founded by former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, will provide free legal assistance to the city as it defends the new regulations in Franklin County Common Pleas Court. It will serve as co-counsel on the case, according to a news release.

Klein is quoted as saying "we welcome their support and look forward to working hand in hand with their team." And of course he does, as Bloomberg's help will somewhat lessen the financial impact of the City's decision to spend taxpayer dollars trying to defend a move designed to strip them of their Constitutional rights.

Bloomberg also recently announced his intentions to spend $80 million to help gun control extremists take over Congress this November.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.

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