''Thank your Senator'' week

By Ken Hanson

Several well-intentioned (?) friends of mine sent me news clips about the municipal prosecutor who was just arrested for walking around the office naked. These were usually accompanied with "witty" questions about us municipal prosecutors working in briefs, etc.

Reading the story, I realized I had been in this particular Court on the case of a CHL who was charged for violating one of the vague absurdities in H.B. 12. (Twice, actually, before they reduced it to a minor misdemeanor disorderly conduct and turned the guy out with a fine and his gun.) This was also the same court where the 3 security screeners working one X-ray machine alertly seized my 1 inch pen knife on my keychain, a gift from a friend.

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Putting on my ornery hat, I responded to several of these emailers that perhaps the municipal prosecutor simply had another concealed carry case coming up, and was practicing his opening statement where he stripped naked and showed people that this was the only proper method for fully complying with Ohio's H.B. 12. Of course, that couldn't be the case, because even being naked he couldn't comply with our car-carry plain-sight provisions.

Which brings us to Ohio on October 12, 2006, our first cold, fall day. Thousands of Ohio CHLs woke up that morning and reacquainted themselves with wearing a winter coat in the car but still somehow not committing a felony by still keeping their holster in plain sight.

As readers of this website will recall, we called on the Senate to pass H.B. 347, which removes the plain sight felony-for-the-asking, prior to summer recess. Had they done so, H.B. 347 would be law now, and these thousands of CHLs this morning would not have risked completely arbitrary, random felony charges on their way to work this morning.

So after one full week of cold weather, I thought it might be appropriate to call the Senate and appropriately "thank" them for their delay in considering H.B. 347. I would just remind you to make sure you do so in a polite and professional manner. Click here if you would like to be taken to a form letter to do so.

Ken Hanson is Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair and author of The Ohio Guide to Firearm Laws.