Brent Greer informs us that there’s about to be an important vote in Ohio on CCW improvements. I like what I see:
The amendment provides a legal way for a person who does not have a concealed handgun license to transport an unloaded firearm in a motor vehicle. It allows a concealed handgun licensee to pick up a child from school, to carry a concealed firearm in one’s own home without a license, to carry concealed in places such as grocery stores that sell alcohol for off-site consumption, to carry concealed in publicly-owned facilities such as park shelters, parking garages, and highway rest stop buildings, and to carry in an unlocked, closed glove compartment or center console.
I carried in Ohio on my way to the NRA Annual Meeting, but rest stops are posted because they are public buildings. I’m pretty sure someone intent on mugging someone at a rest area isn’t paying much attention to the posting. This looks like a major improvement to Ohio’s carry laws.
How the frick can it be illegal to carry a concealed weapon in your own house? It’s never even occured to me that might be illegal.
Sebastian, thanks for the link. The rest stop issue has been problematic here. Broadcast media reports (of the May sweeps kind) for the past few weeks have been filled with stories of increases in muggings and rapes in rest stop restrooms and buildings. Places where, as you stated, we currently cannot carry. One of the TV stations that hates guns and CCW ran the rest stop story repeatedly. Unintentionally, this station has been one of our best tools to push through these overdue reforms.
Yeah, every time I drive back to Indiana, those no gun signs at Ohio rest areas annoy the hell out of me. I don’t much like leaving my gun in the car.
I skimmed it. Does it address transportation in a vehicle suitably? I’ve read there is no legal way to do it currently, at least that’s what buckeye firearms has said.
Well it is actually already legal to carry concealed in your own home, this bill just explicitly spells it out.
The alcohol sales provision just clarifies what we can already do, carry concealed in a location with a D license that does not serve alcohol (mainly stores that can sell on Sunday for carryout.)
As for carrying in rest areas, you already can open carry, this just allows you to conceal.