Ohio: Senate Committee to Hear Important Right-to-Carry Confidentiality Legislation this Wednesday

3:00pm Tuesday, June 11, 2013

This Wednesday, June 12, the Senate Criminal Justice Committee will hold its first hearing on legislation to further protect the confidentiality of concealed handgun license holders. Senate Bill 60, sponsored by state Senator Joe Uecker (R-14), would permanently protect the confidentiality of concealed handgun license holders throughout the Buckeye State by eliminating the journalist access exception to this information.

SB 60 is a vital step towards ensuring the protection and safety of law-abiding gun owners given the history of journalists who have abused the current system to obtain personal information—including the name, county of residence and date of birth—of license holders in Ohio. This measure affords Ohio carry license holders the same protections that residents in forty states already enjoy due to Right-to-Carry confidentiality laws in place.

This legislation is especially important given recent instances nationally of anti-gun media outlets publishing the names and addresses of carry license holders. Such publications put law-abiding gun owners at risk and jeopardize their safety. Enactment of SB 60 would ensure that this egregious violation of privacy never happens in Ohio.

Please call members of the state Senate Criminal Justice Committee and urge them to support SB 60 this Wednesday. Their contact information is provided below:

Senate Criminal Justice Committee:

Senator John Eklund (R-18), Chairman
(614) 644-7718

Senator Bill Seitz (R-8), Vice Chairman
(614) 466-8068

Senator Joe Schiavoni (D-33), Ranking Minority Member
(614) 466-8285

Senator Jim Hughes (R-16)
(614) 466-5981

Senator Frank LaRose (R-27)
(614) 466-4823

Senator Peggy Lehner (R-6)
(614) 466-4538

Senator Larry Obhof (R-22)
(614) 466-7505
E-mail

Senator Tom Sawyer (D-28)
(614) 466-7041

Senator Tim Schaffer (R-31)
(614) 466-5838

Senator Shirley Smith (D-21)
(614) 466-4857