Who elected Paul McClellan? Who voted for John Born?

When it comes to reforming the state's concealed carry laws, the buck stops with a few unelected state employees. This according to Republican leadership in the Ohio Senate, and Gov. Bob Taft.

According to media reports, Senate President Doug White has refused to appoint conferees to a committee to work out differences between the House and Senate's versions of HB12. He says the House needs to do it's negotiating with Gov. Taft. But Gov. Taft says he won't budge on his "Car-jacker Protection" provision because the Ohio State Highway Patrol wants it in the bill.

The end result is, Gov. Taft and the Senate are handing unelected bureaucrats absolute legislative authority when it comes to the self-defense rights of Ohioans.

Talk about your inappropriate involvement by a special interest lobbying group.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol employs under 1500 troopers, which have, to our knowledge, never been polled on their opinion regarding concealed carry reform. The OSHP has law enforcement jurisdiction only on state roads and interstate highways.

Yet because of the lack of political leadership in the Ohio Senate, or in the Governor's office, the fate of Ohioans who want to exercise their constitutional right to self-defense lies at the feet of OSHP Superintendent Col. Paul D. McClellan.

McClellan and his yes-men, such as Capt. John Born, are refusing to budge on their insistence that that guns carried in cars be kept "in plain sight", and that parents may not protect their minor children from violent attack.

HB12 sponsor Rep. Jim Aslanides met Wednesday morning with patrol representatives and asked them right away if there was any room to discuss the affirmative defense provision.

They said no.

"I spent hours begging for a compelling reason from the Highway Patrol. They have none," Aslanides said.

The irony about the OSHP bureaucracy's opposition was highlighted well in a recent message to OFCC PAC from Dr. John Lott:

1) No other right-to-carry state has any remotely similar provisions on carrying guns in cars. I know of not one single case where a child in a car has been accidentally shot or shot someone else with a permit holder's gun. For that matter, I can't even think of a case where a child has been accidentally shot to death by a gun held by a permit holder. It is possible, but I would like them to point to one case.

2) The piece by David Mustard in the Journal of Law and Economics deals with the issue of risks to police from concealed handgun laws and he
finds that such gun laws are the only ones associated with reduced police fatalities.

Recent stories on the OSHP:

OSHP Press Release: Ohio State Highway Patrol Superintendant Paul McClellan says there is no statistical or anecdotal evidence that allowing citizens to carry firearms in their cars will reduce crime or protect the innocent.

Open Letter to OSHP Superintendant Paul McClellan: You Can't Have it Both Ways

The evidence OSHP Superintendant Paul McClellan can't find

Can Ohio State Highway Patrol troopers be trusted with their firearms?

Patrol testifies against allowing loaded weapons in vehicles

Reality Check for the Ohio Highway Patrol: Don't Get ''Borned''

''Don't Get Borned'' Pt. 2: Many more citizens who couldn't 'just drive away'

These Akron victims couldn't ''just drive away'' when attacked

Letter to the Editor: Statistics don’t support Highway Patrol’s fear of CCW