Former Xavier Rifle Team Member On Olympic Team Again

Jason Parker has qualified for his third Olympic Team. Jason is a 1996 graduate of Xavier University where he was a four-year All American. He joined the Army Marksmanship Unit in January 1997. He competed on the 2000 Olympic team in Sydney, the 2004 Olympic Team in Athens, and is now going to Beijing. The official release is on USA Shooting's website. This month, Parker qualified for 2 Olympic events, Men's Smallbore Three Position and Men's Air Rifle. In the past he had competed in Air Rifle only. Jason's coach when he was at Xavier was Alan Joseph, the ORPA Membership Secretary.

Ohio Firearms Law Reform Awaits Governor's Signature!

Today, the Ohio Senate voted 25-7 to approve the improved version of Senate Bill 184. This is a huge victory for the law-abiding citizens of Ohio. Please see the last post for details on the bill.

Please see how your Senator voted and remember this in November:

Yeas – 25

Amstutz, Austria, Boccieri, Buehrer, Cafaro, Carey, Cates, Faber, Fedor, Goodman, Grendell, Harris, Jacobson, Mumper, Niehaus, Padgett, Roberts, Schaffer, Schuler, Schuring, Seitz, Spada, Stivers, Wagoner, Wilson

Nays - 7

Kearney, Mason, D. Miller, R. Miller, Morano, Sawyer, Smith

Ohio Firearms Law Reform Passes Big Hurdle!

Today, the Ohio House voted 73-23 to approve the improved version of Senate Bill 184. This is a major accomplishment, but we need to keep pushing. The Buckeye Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association have been working very hard on this and deserve a tremendous amount of credit. The bill will next be considered by the full Senate. This bill addresses many of the issues we as firearms owners and concealed-carry-license holders have had for some time. Below, you can see a summary of the bill's most important features, in addition to the original "Castle Doctrine" law. You can read more about the amended bill here. Please contact your State Senator and express your support for SB 184.

Also, please check to see how your Representative voted (at bottom) and remember this in November.

SB 184's features (courtesy of Buckeye Firearms Association):

• Clarification on how persons without a Concealed Handgun License (CHL) can legally transport firearms in an automobile
  
• Allows lawful concealed carry in your home without a Concealed Handgun License (CHL)
  
• Clarifies an unloaded firearm as one with no ammunition in the firearm or in magazines or speedloaders, regardless of where else ammunition is stored
  
• Allows lawful Concealed Carry in retail establishments with a class D6/D8 liquor license (package sales only, not bars/restaurants)
  
• Allows pick up/drop off by CHL holders in school safety zones
  
• Provides for mandatory legal fees for gun owners who require court orders to have firearms returned to them.
  
• Allows lawful Concealed Carry in state owned shelters, restrooms and parking garages.
  
• Decriminalizes Concealed Carry in privately owned parking garages.
  
• Prohibits landlords from prohibiting tenants from owning/carrying firearms
  
• Allows CHL holders to carry firearm in unlocked glove compartment or center console.
  
• Expunged/Sealed records are no longer considered when applying for a CHL.
  
• Written test is no longer required for competency renewal of CHL

Yeas - 73

Adams, Aslanides, Bacon, Batchelder, Blessing, Bolon, Book, Brady, Brinkman, Carmichael, Coley, Collier, Combs, Core, Daniels, DeBose, DeWine, Dodd, Dolan, Domenick, Driehaus, Dyer, Evans, Fende, Fessler, Flowers, Gardner, Garrison, Gerberry, Gibbs, Goodwin, Goyal, Hagan, Harwood, Heydinger, Hite, Hottinger, Huffman, Hughes, Husted, Jones, Lundy, Mandel, J. McGregor, R. McGregor, Mecklenborg, Miller, Newcomb, Oelslager, Okey, Otterman, Patton, Peterson, Raussen, Redfern, Reinhard, Sayre, Schindel, Schlichter, Schneider, Sears, Setzer, J. Stewart, Szollosi, Uecker, Wachtmann, Wagner, Webster, White, Widener, Wolpert, Yuko, Zehringer

Nays - 23

Beatty, Boyd, Brown, Budish, Celeste, Chandler, DeGeeter, Foley, Heard, Koziura, Letson, Luckie, Mallory, Skindell, Slesnick, Stebelton, D. Stewart, Strahorn, Sykes, Ujvagi, B. Williams, S. Williams, Yates

Ohio Firearms Law Reform on the Move!

Today, the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee voted to approve an extremely important amendment to Senate Bill 184 and passed the amended bill out of committee. This is a major accomplishment, but we need to keep pushing. The bill will next be considered by the full House, as early as tomorrow. This amendment addresses many of the issues we as firearms owners and concealed-carry-license holders have had for some time. You can read more about the amended bill here. A summary of the improvements is available here. Please contact your State Representative and express your support for SB 184.

Testimony on Amendment to Ohio SB 184

On Thursday, I testified to the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee in support of a proposed amendment to Senate Bill 184. This amendment addresses many of the issues we as firearms owners and concealed-carry-license holders have had for some time. We hope for a vote that would move the amended bill out of committee this week. You can read more about the amendment here. Please contact your State Representative and express your support for this amendment and for SB 184.

Ohio House Bill 450 Passes Overwhelmingly!

The Ohio House has passed House Bill 450 with a vote of 90 to 3. The bill's primary sponsor is Representative Goodwin of Defiance. I testified on behalf of this bill last month. The bill will now be considered by the Ohio Senate. This bill would allow adults between 18 and 21 who are in the armed forces to purchase handguns. You can read more about it here.

Omnibus Amendment for "Castle Doctrine"!

This week is a big week for firearm owners in Ohio. An amendment has been proposed for Ohio Senate Bill 184 that addresses many of the issues we as firearm owners and concealed-carry-license holders have had for some time. There will be another meeting of the House Criminal Justice Committee tomorrow which may include a vote. The Buckeye Firearms Association and the National Rifle Association have been working very hard on this. You can get details on the amendment here. Please contact your State Representative and express your support for this amendment. The most important points are (thanks to Buckeye Firearms for this):

1) Establish a clear standard for what constitutes a "loaded firearm."

2) Provide protection from confiscation of firearms during disasters and other emergencies.

3) Allow lawful carry of firearms in establishments with a class D6 liquor permit (includes Kroger, Wal-Mart, etc.)

4) Make changes to the notification of officers by CHL holders.

NRA Annual Meeting in Louisville

Last weekend, I attended the NRA Annual Meeting in Louisville - lots of great gear, big crowds, userful seminars, and good speeches. I thought folks might like to see the program for the Leadership Forum, held on Friday afternoon. Click here. Note the very impressive line-up of speakers and the tribute to a great American on the back cover.

Big Push Needed for "Castle Doctrine"!

The Criminal Justice Committee of the Ohio House is still considering the House version of "Castle Doctrine" legislation, already passed by the Ohio Senate as Senate Bill 184 . This committee could be voting on amendments this week. Many of these amendments are friendly to firearm owners, some are not. I urge you to contact your State Representative and ask him or her to support the self-defense-friendly amendments, to reject the bad amendments, and to act on "Castle Doctrine" now! You can find your State Representative here. You can read more about this here.

CBS News Covers Cowboy Action

We often criticize the media for their portrayal of shooters, generally for good reason, but we should also acknowledge when they show shooting sports in positive light. The CBS Evening News recently had a piece on Cowboy Action Shooting in Arizona that was positive and informative. You can watch it here (after a short commercial).

Chance to Comment on Concealed Carry in National Parks

The U.S Government is accepting comments from citizens on the proposed change in regulations that will allow legal concealed carry of firearms in National Parks and other areas administered by the Interior Department. You can read more about it here. You can submit your comments here.

Committee Passes Ohio House Bill 450

The Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee has passed House Bill 450. The bill's primary sponsor is Representative Goodwin of Defiance. I testified on behalf of this bill last month. The bill will now be considered by the full House of Representatives. This bill would allow adults between 18 and 21 who are in the armed forces to purchase handguns. You can read more about it here.