According to Ohio Gunowners Director Chris Dorr in a statement made in a Facebook Live post this evening (7/5/2017), HB 201, or the Ohio Constitutional Carry Bill unfortunately did not yet make it past the committee stage.
While this doesn’t necessarily spell the end of Constitutional Carry in Ohio, HB 201 faces a long summer trial to make its way back to the forefront when the Ohio congress commences later this autumn.
However, one can look at how promising HB 201, presented by Representative Ron Hood in early May, has been in its short history. For example, OG Director Chris Dorr stated that various Constitutional Carry bills have been seen in Ohio since 1995, at least, but none have made it as far as HB 201!
Looking at who on the House Federalism Committee is sponsoring HB 201 makes it surprising that the bill did not go forward, but Dorr insists that Carry advocates must work all summer to push the point home that Ohio needs Constitutional Carry.
So, why didn’t the bill move forward today?
There’s a so-called “sticking point” in how the bill pegs Carry to the “federal prohibited persons standard” which most permitless carry states adhere to in their own versions. This is to say that unless a person is prohibited specifically by federal law to purchase and own a firearm, that person may lawfully carry a firearm openly or concealed without further regulation.
That of course makes sense, right?
Mom’s Demand Action, the billionaire Michael Bloomberg-backed “coalition” and a few others, think differently. They insist that permitless carriers must meet the same requirements as concealed carry permit holders.
That’s to say that Constitutional Carry would be pegged to Ohio’s permitting requirments, which makes absolutely no sense, as this wouldn’t technically be Constitutional Carry, and the fact that Ohio would still have a permit available for those to enjoy reciprocity with other states.
Indeed, while MDM and anti-gunners would just simply like to take Americans guns away from them, they won’t stop there.
However, as this has been a sticking point in the last two of the four meetings HB 201 has seen, a few on the House Federalism Committee apparently didn’t feel comfortable going ahead, voting and getting it out onto the floor docket.
So, where does that leave us?
Constitutional Carry across the United States is working very well, and that should speak for itself. HB 201 hasn’t seen last light and Ohio Gunowners Chris Dorr is hoping that we can pursue a summer-long campaign to push Carry as it stands–without any amendments or poison pills–and finally make it the law of the land this fall.
Remember, this iteration of Ohio Constitutional Carry has come farther than any other permitless carry bill has in over 20 years! (I’m sure having GOA’s Larry Pratt come to support us didn’t hurt either!) While that can be both comical and sad, it might be a testament to the fact that Ohio, and America, is ready to restore the full purpose of the 2nd Amendment and protect our God-given rights once again!
Stay tuned for more.
In the mean time, join the fight with Ohio Gunowners, the only “no-compromise firearms organization in Ohio” at https://www.ohiogunowners.org/
Also, consider checking out https://www.buckeyefirearms.org/ & http://gunowners.org/
https://www.facebook.com/likeohiogunowners https://twitter.com/OhioGunOwners
Written by Sam Ludtman, The Muddy Otter.
the muddy otter 