Posted on 01/10/2004 10:05:37 AM PST by spald
Saturday, January 10, 2004
'Concealed carry' bewilders enforcers
By Dan Klepal
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Law enforcement officials had more questions than answers Friday about Ohio's new law permitting people to carry concealed weapons.
The law takes effect April 7 and requires the state's 88 sheriffs to process applications for permits to carry handguns within 45 days.
CONCEALED CARRY RULES
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• Ohio residents would have to do the following to get licenses to carry concealed handguns: |
Clermont County Sheriff A.J. "Tim" Rodenberg Jr. spent most of Friday studying the new law. He said there is a lot to worry about.
"There are a lot of little twists and turns in there that can really trip people up," Rodenberg said. "And not just citizens - governmental agencies, too. The first few months are going to be real interesting. We're going to have our hands full, and we're going to have to circle the wagons and be ready for it."
The Ohio Attorney General's Office has its hands full, too. It must create a database in the next 90 days listing everyone found mentally incompetent by an Ohio court.
In addition, the attorney general has to produce brochures explaining the new law and the permit application forms - both of which will go before the Ohio Peace Officer's Training Commission for approval.
"Nothing like the database exists right now,' said Bob Beasley, spokesman for the Attorney General's Office. "We're working on it. The bill was signed yesterday, so we have 90 days."
Among the questions sheriffs were asking Friday:
• How will the $45 permit application fee be split, and will more state money be coming to cover the expense of processing the paperwork and performing the background checks?
• Can they refuse a permit if the person meets the criteria?
• People have to complete a "certified" firearms training course, but nothing in the law defines what a certified program is. Will there be a master list of certified programs across the state?
• Will training programs teach Ohio firearms law and self-defense law?
Butler County Sheriff's spokesman Monte Mayer said his office is waiting for answers.
"We are awaiting some direction on the law from the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association to determine exactly what steps we have to take," Mayer said. "The nuts and bolts have yet to be worked out. The next 30 to 60 days, we'll learn more about what needs to be done.
And the foremost question: How many people will apply for a permit?
"Who knows?" Mayer said.
The law allows people to apply for a permit in adjacent counties, which could mean that people trying to avoid what could be long lines in Hamilton County may file their applications in Clermont County.
"I think we'll be talking about thousands of people, not hundreds," Rodenberg said. "It's kind of like waiting for something to hit you in the head, but you don't know what it is. You can guess all you want to, but until (it happens), you're not going to have any way to know."
In Hamilton County, sheriff's spokesman Steve Barnett sent out an advisory asking that the public not call because there are too many unresolved issues.
Chuck Klein, a 61-year-old downtown resident who was part of the lawsuit that helped force passage of the law, has mixed feelings about the law.
"The number of places that we are restricted from carrying guns creates impossible scenarios," Klein said. "You can't carry one into a school safety zone. Now what is a parent supposed to do with the gun when he gets to the school? Lock it in the trunk before he gets to the school? That doesn't make any sense at all.
"I don't think putting a gun in a car is a good idea under any conditions."
E-mail dklepal@enquirer.com
Could somebody ping the bang list please?
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No sooner said than done.
Add this to the "To:" line, *bang_list
the asterik is required to make it work.
Also, these whining LEO types have no sympathy from me. If they want to play it safe, assume that EVERYONE has the right to carry a gun, and LEAVE THEM ALONE.
The fools in the Ohio, in an effort to harass honest gun owners, have made this bill so confusing that even the bureaucrats who designed it can't figure it out.
Fortunately, a few smart legislators put recipocity in to the bill, so that Ohio will honor the CCW 'permits' of other states.
The end result of all this might very well be that Ohio issues only a few dozen permits (collecting hundreds of dollars, while spending millions to set up the databases), while the residents of Ohio simply get non-resident permits from states like Florida that "allow" them to carry in Ohio.
SPAAAAAAAAMMMMM! Wonderful SPAAAAAAAAMMMMM!
The Ohio State Patrol, by their behaviour on this bill, has earned the honor of 'dumbest LE agency in America'
The fact is they have been circling the wagons - thats why the law was necessary.
The irony is that Ohio will likely end up as the only state with shall-issue CCW to actually lose money on the deal.
Vermont and Alaska.
Vermont has been like that for a long time.
Alaska went they way last year, after having a "permit" system for awhile.
And then they must issue both a permit and a weapon to everyone on that list.
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