Report: 10 years later - fewer restrictions, more concealed guns

Though the establishment media largely failed to mark the tenth anniversary of Ohio's concealed handgun licensure law on April 8, Gannett Company, publisher of a number of Ohio newspapers as well as USAToday, has finally published two lengthy articles to mark the event.

The first article is entitled "10 years later - fewer restrictions, more concealed guns":

When Ohio passed a law allowing people to carry hidden handguns, anti-gun advocates predicted there would be blood in the streets. The bill's sponsor and gun lobbyists foresaw more than 150,000 people signing up for concealed carry licenses in the first few years.

A decade later, neither prophecy came true.

Ohio is not less safe — or considerably more safe — than it was when sheriff's offices started issuing concealed handgun licenses April 8, 2004. Gun-related deaths have increased during the past decade, largely caused by more suicides, but crime overall has decreased, according to state health department and the FBI's Crime in the United States records. Research conducted on concealed carry laws' effects on crime rates nationwide has been mixed.

What has changed is the number of places Ohioans can conceal a handgun legally. Gun advocates call this fixing a convoluted law signed by an anti-gun governor. Those who oppose concealed carry label it as encroaching on the freedoms of Ohioans not wielding clandestine firearms.

"When concealed carry passed, Bob Taft was governor. He had insane rules and restrictions put into the bill," said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Those restrictions included a ban on concealed handguns in cars, purses and bags. Renewals were required every four years along with a second competency test. Concealed carry wasn't allowed in bars or public parking lots, such as the one beneath the Ohio Statehouse. Local governments also could implement their own, more restrictive rules on concealed handgun licenses.

The article notes that, during the past 10 years, those limitations have been eliminated one by one.

The biggest remaining restriction on concealed handgun licenses is "no gun zones" — or, as the Buckeye Firearm Association calls them, "victim zones."

Ohio law restricts concealed handgun license holders from having guns in schools, universities, places of worship, county buildings, day care centers, and private businesses or private parking lots with signs prohibiting guns. Much of the current proposed legislation focuses on reducing those restricted areas.

"A gun-free zone is a terrible thing," Irvine said, adding that criminals will target gun-free zones because they know they won't be stopped by a person with a gun. "Gun control is a poison, and it's killing our citizens."

...Irvine said he doesn't support carrying concealed weapons in restricted areas, such as prisons, courtrooms and airports, but most spaces should be fair game.

Other off-limits areas just don't make sense: You can drop your child off at school while carrying a concealed handgun in your vehicle, but if he forgets his lunchbox, driving back into the school zone violates Ohio law. A bill before the General Assembly would change that.

"That's a pretty important fix there," Irvine said.

While the article's opening sought to suggest that neither side's predictions made when the law was passed came true, pointing to a "low" number of applications in the first two years compared to one early prediction, the writer does eventually note that applications have skyrocketed as the law has been inproved.

As carrying a concealed handgun becomes easier, more people are doing it.

Former Rep. Jim Aslanides, R-Coshocton, who sponsored the 2004 concealed carry law, said he initially thought 150,000 Ohioans would sign up in the first couple of years. However, that figure was closer to 68,000, according to counts from the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

But the number of new concealed carry permits issued to Ohioans has doubled since 2010. Last year, sheriff's offices issued 96,972 new concealed handgun licenses — a 50 percent increase from 2012, which also was a record year.

Since 2004, sheriff's offices have issued more than 458,000 new concealed handgun licenses, according to annual attorney general's office reports. That number represents about 5 percent of the state's adult population, assuming everyone renewed their licenses and none was revoked.

Irvine is quoted as saying the numbers are rapidly growing thanks to highly publicized violence nationwide, anti-gun sentiments from federal officials and more lax laws in Ohio. The article concludes by noting that surge of participation is encouraging for the law's sponsor.

"The number is very, very substantial, and we're very proud of that," Aslanides is quoted as saying. "Criminals beware."

The second article, entitled "More Ohioans take advantage of Ohio's gun law as it turns 10," includes information on a class the Gannet Company reporter attended in preparation for her articles.

The report then delves into potential changes that are in the works:

Should records of who can carry a concealed handgun be as accessible as traffic tickets or as confidential as medical records?

Currently, Ohio law allows only journalists to inspect records of concealed handgun licensees’ name, county of residence and date of birth if they submit written documentation to the local sheriff specifying their request is in the public’s best interest. Reporters cannot receive copies of the licenses or copy down the information themselves, according to the Ohio Revised Code.

Other residents cannot access the information at all.

Police officers have access to information about whether an individual has a concealed handgun license. Ohio law also requires a person with a license to inform law enforcement if they have a firearm on their person during an encounter with police.

Access to information about concealed carry licensees was not always that strict. Gov. Bob Taft required journalists to have access to the records before signing the 2004 concealed handgun law.

Shortly after, at least one newspaper printed the names of every person with a concealed handgun license in the counties it covered, which upset gun lobbyists and owners.

“This posting of our names and info not only betrayed the law-abiding citizens who have gone through the proper training and background checks, but now also puts us in danger,” one man wrote in a letter to the Buckeye Firearm Association.

In 2007, a law took effect to restrict journalists from copying information about concealed handgun license holders. Now, Sen. Joseph Uecker, R-Dayton, has introduced a bill to eliminate any access journalists have to the records.

“You, as a journalist should, not be able to look inside what’s in my house. So why should you have a right to look at list of concealed handgun licenses anymore than you have a right to find out I’m a member at this church or support this charity?” asked Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association.

After quoting from an anti-self-defense rights extremist who believes licensee's personal, private information should be made public to check the effectiveness of concealed carry licenses, Irvine is quoted as saying there’s no evidence Ohio sheriffs are not operating efficiently and effectively in handling concealed handgun licenses.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-Certified firearms instructor.