Taft veto-threat kills first attempt to close Media Access Loophole

The Cleveland Plain Dealer is reporting that House Representative Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican, has tabled a proposal to alter House Bill 9, the "open records bill", to protect the privacy of Ohioans licensed to carry concealed handguns from an abusive media. And his reasoning will be all-too familiar to Ohio gun owners:

From the story:

"Well, I think the governor would veto the entire bill . . . and I don't want that to happen because it's a great bill," said Rep. Bill Seitz, a Cincinnati Republican.

And later:

Currently, the list is available only to journalists. Some media outlets, including The Plain Dealer, have published the names in print or online.

Gov. Bob Taft said he would veto any proposal that contained the restriction, which would kill Rep. Scott Oelslager's public-records bill.

Bob Taft, who in April 2004 ordered the names of former prison inmates removed from the Internet to avoid "stigmatizing" the convicts, had latched on to the public records for CHL-holders issue as a final attempt at killing concealed carry in Ohio just months earlier.

And although this latest threat may be a sign that law-abiding Ohioans have little chance of closing the Media Access Loophole until they elect a governor who recognizes their right to privacy, the Plain Dealer reports one man isn't ready to quit trying.

Rep. Seitz told the newspaper that Rep. Jim Aslanides, a Coshocton Republican who sponsored Ohio's concealed weapons law, is expected to introduce separate legislation that would shield the names.

According to the Associated Press, he expects to introduce a bill sometime after the new two-year budget takes effect in July.