Digging for diamonds amidst continued HB347 coverage

So many news articles were written covering passage of HB347 that it was difficult to cover them all.

Following are a few more worth noting, including quotes from two county sheriffs who have no problems with HB347, and yet another city administrator who admits they have never enforced the gun control laws they claim they so desperately need:

Click on 'Read More' for more.

(Defiance) Crescent News: Gun owners to benefit from change in state law:

Some had questioned the original requirement that they either have their gun locked in a glovebox or in plain [sight].

"That's the argument that was made by the gun owners and people who wanted to carry," said Henry County Sheriff John Nye. "If it's for my protection or in a case or whatever and I need to defend myself quickly, what's the point?"

Nye has no problem with the change. For one thing, he doesn't see much of an impact.

"We were pushing for it in the first place," he said. "We're dealing with law-abiding citizens. These are people who have gone through the training and gotten a (concealed carry) license through us (sheriff's offices). We're not just passing things out like candy."

Nye said the original requirement also presented a safety issue.

If permit holders must place their weapon in full view while traveling in a motor vehicle, Nye noted, it also required them to remove it from their person.

"We looked at it as a safety issue," he said. "There was a lot of handling. I'm surprised we didn't have any issues with that."

One law enforcement officer who believes the law continues to present safety issues is Defiance Police Chief Norm Walker. He said removal of the plain site requirement makes officers' jobs more dangerous.

"I've never been happy with the concealed-carry law," he said. "I just don't see a need for it. And, now that they (the General Assembly) has taken it a step further, it makes it that much more dangerous."

Walker said the police department has not had any incidents involving concealed-carry permit holders. Asked if such holders would be less of a concern because they are law-abiding citizens, Walker said: "It doesn't matter. We don't know who these people are."

Defiance County Sheriff David Westrick is not troubled by the recent change and says it eliminates a couple of issues.

He said the original law was difficult to enforce because it favored right-handed gun owners.

For example, when they were driving a vehicle, such owners could place their gun in plain site near their strong hand. But left-handed gun owners might be more apt to place the gun in a position that was not readily visible to approaching law enforcement officers.

"When we taught classes, that was one of the things that came up constantly," Westrick said. "How could you enforce it? This was not a very good part of the law which was in need of correction for both sides -- law enforcement and the gun owner."

Too, Westrick noted that the plain site requirement could alarm others on the highway, such as children on a school bus who could see down into the gun-carrying motorist's vehicle.

Sheriffs Nye & Westrick talk logic, and Chief Walker talks nonsense. Take a guess which law-enforcement officers are elected public officials, and which is an unelected bureaucrat? And speaking of elected officials, one last blurb from this news article:

First District Senator Lynn Wachtmann, R-Napoleon, 74th House District Representative Stephen Buehrer, R-Delta, and 75th House District Representative Jim Hoops, R-Napoleon, all voted to override the governor's veto.

"Ever since the original concealed-carry bill went through there were a number of issues confusing and very hard for a person to follow," said Buehrer, who will become Ohio's 1st District senator in January. "One, because it was very hard to interpret what 'plain site' might mean, and secondly the whole thing required the most unsafe manner for an individual to handle a gun you could think of. The safest one is in a holster."

As for the elimination of local gun restrictions, Buehrer believes this was necessary to provide uniformity.

"I absolutely felt the pre-emption in this area was appropriate," he said. "If I drive from Delta to Columbus, how can I be responsible for knowing what the gun laws may or may not be in all the jurisdictions I drive through? We need a single set of rules."

(Columbus) ThisWeek News: Dublin weighing gun-law options:

[HB347] effectively wipes out Dublin's ban on the sale or transfer of assault weapons, according to Stephen Smith, city law director.

Smith said he still is evaluating the effect the new state law will have on Dublin's ordinance, which has been on the books since the mid-1990s.

"Right now, I'm reviewing the bill just to make sure our code is going to stay consistent with Ohio law," Smith said.

Dublin council likely will have to vote to repeal the ordinance, he said.

"Technically, we would have to because the law won't allow us to have it on the books, even though we don't enforce it," he said.

...Until she sees Smith's report, City Manager Jane Brautigam said she will not comment on the new state law or its possible implications.

"We're waiting for legal advice from our attorney," she said.

Meanwhile, Columbus attorney Richard C. Pfeiffer Jr. said city officials there are considering their options, as well. Currently, it's illegal to purchase or carry an assault rifle in the city of Columbus.

"At the moment, we're taking a look at whether we can make a successful challenge to the new law," Pfeiffer said.

Yet another local gun control law that city officials admit was never even enforced. And yet bureaucrats in several major Ohio cities (Columbus Mayor Mike Coleman, for instance, who is obviously preparing for a re-election run) and elsewhere hysterically claim these laws are needed to curb crime.

(Hillsboro) Times Gazette: Senator John Carey: Legislature supports gun owners:

Most of us learn about the Constitution in school and, over time, grow to appreciate the rights and privileges this important document grants us. However, on occasion, there have been some who have questioned the merit of these freedoms and have done their best to restrict them. In particular, a number of anti-gun activists have fought hard over the years to place restrictions on our Second Amendment right to keep and bear arms.

In the midst of this struggle, the Ohio General Assembly has taken a number of important steps to ensure law-abiding citizens are able to exercise their Constitutional rights.