URGENT: Tell Senate and Governor Kasich it's time to move gun rights legislation

There's time for talk, and there's time for action. And if you are one of the nearly one-half million concealed handgun license-holders in the state of Ohio, or if you support the right to bear arms, today is a day for ACTION.

House Bill 48, introduced over a year ago by Rep. Ron Maag, and passed by the Ohio House nearly half a year ago by an overwhelming 68-29 vote, has seen very little action in the Ohio Senate.

Decisions are being made right now that will determine the fate of this legislation for the remainder of this legislative session.

Please write or call your state senator and Governor Kasich NOW and urge them to move HB 48 and SB 180. Then Tweet them. Tag them on Facebook. And ask your friends to do the same.

If you read our website regularly then you know we don't constantly ask for this kind of grassroots action. When we do ask, it's important.

Despite it having been falsely labeled as the "guns everywhere" bill by equally falsely labeled "gun safety" groups, HB 48 makes several reasonable but critical changes to Ohio firearms laws.

Currently it is against the law to possess a firearm on school property. There is an exemption for license-holders “immediately in the process of picking up or dropping off a child,” provided the license-holder remains in the vehicle. But drop off a spouse (not a “child”) for work, or your kids lunch/medicine/science project, and parents are subject to felony penalties. Parents with a CHL are prohibited from leaving the vehicle as may be required to sign a child out of the office or nurses’ station.

HB 48 would fix this mess by simply stating that the gun, as opposed to the license-holder, must remain in the vehicle. It fixes a problem that license-holders, schools, law enforcement and prosecutors have had issues with. Such a simple and common-sense fix should enjoy unanimous support.

For most people, the distinction between the “secure side” and the “non-secure” area of an airport is obvious. Non-secure areas include the road, parking garage, baggage claim, and check-in areas. The secure area is anything on the other side of security. But Ohio does not recognize this obvious difference for CHL’s. The same is true for police stations. HB 48 would fix this by allowing licensed individuals to possess firearms in the non-secure area, while leaving the prohibition in place for the secure areas.

HB48 would allow the carry of firearms in a private airplane, just as it does a private car/truck.

HB48 would eliminate the prohibition of having a gun in a day care facility. Requiring parents to disarm/rearm every time they drop off/pick up a child is inviting an accident. Leaving the gun holstered on one’s person is safer for the parent, children, and day care facility. Day care centers would still be permitted to adopt their own rules prohibiting firearms in their facility.

Current law allows grade schools to authorize individuals to carry firearms in school. This is a fast-growing trend among Ohio schools, many of which have taken advantage of “FASTER Saves Lives” training as part of their security measures. HB 48 would allow colleges and universities to similarly allow carry if they desired. Prohibiting institutions of higher education from adopting “best practice” protocols for violence including active killer/active shooter is bad policy. HB 48 fixes this problem and gives each institution the ability to do what they believe is best for their staff and students.

Senators should also be encouraged to work to improve the civil rights of Ohioans by acting to pass SB 180, which would protect employees from being fired for having their personal firearm stored in a personal vehicle at work.

There have been many improvements passed in other states in the past year. It's time for Ohio to move good bills, because we are behind and falling further behind in restoration of rights for our citizens.

Again, please write or call your state senator and Governor Kasich NOW and urge them to urge them to move HB 48 and SB 180. DO IT NOW!

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, BFA PAC Vice Chairman, and an NRA-certified firearms instructor. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website.

Jim Irvine is the Buckeye Firearms Foundation President, BFA PAC Chairman and recipient of the NRA-ILA's 2011 "Jay M. Littlefield Volunteer of the Year Award," the CCRKBA's 2012 "Gun Rights Defender of the Year Award," and the SAF's 2015 "Defender of Freedom Award."