House Republicans back away from plan to vote on HB 228 before summer recess, hold another hearing on Kasich gun control bill

The Columbus Dispatch is reporting that House Republicans have backed away from a plan to vote on House Bill 228 (Fix Burden of Proof/Concealed Carry Modernization).

From the article:

Gun supporters and gun-control advocates had been gearing up for a show-down this week, particularly following comments last week from Speaker Ryan Smith, R-Bidwell, who said a vote was expected, with enough support to override any veto by Gov. John Kasich.

The bill would shift the burden of proof in self-defense cases from the defendant to the prosecution, removing the “duty to retreat” when faced with a threat.

...

The bill also would get rid of current requirements that K-12 schools, police stations, courthouses, airports and other public locations post signs declaring themselves as gun-free zones. And, it would reduce certain concealed handgun violations to minor misdemeanors and further block local governments from passing gun-related ordinances.

The Ohio House will take up more than 30 bills on the floor Wednesday, an unusually large number as the chamber meets for the last time before heading into summer break.

At almost the same time as this announcement was being made, Rep. Marlene Anielski (R-Walton Hills), who chairs the House State & Local Government committee, announced that her committee would soon hold yet another hearing on HB 585 (Kasich Gun Control).

Despite having overwhelming majorities in both the House and Senate, Ohio Republicans have failed to send pro-gun rights legislation to the governor's desk since 2016.

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.