Cleveland Plain Dealer: Ohio Senate OKs concealed-gun bill
The Ohio Senate approved a bill yesterday legalizing concealed weapons for most Ohioans, despite the continued opposition of Gov. Bob Taft.
House leaders said that without a promise from Taft to sign the bill they do not intend to bring lawmakers back for a vote on the bill. That decision [if it remains firm] will kill the bill for now, though the House intends to reintroduce its version after the new session begins in January.
The Senate's 20-11 approval of the bill - a significantly rewritten version of the one passed by the House - divided Republicans and Democrats along urban/rural lines.
"There's no question the streets of my city will be more dangerous if this bill passes," said Sen. Dan Brady, a Cleveland Democrat, who called the bill "a warning shot" sent to the next assembly.
John Hohenwarter, a lobbyist for the National Rifle Association who pushed the bill, said the House could have passed the bill.
Earlier in the day, Senate Civil Justice Chairman Jeff Jacobson insisted that he had addressed 95 percent of the concerns raised by Taft last week. But the administration cited the continued opposition of state troopers as a signal that its conditions had not been satisfied.
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