Conceal carry bill concerns law enforcers

Law enforcement officers have some concerns about a piece of legislation introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives last week that would relax some regulations on drivers who carry concealed firearms.

House Bill 422, jointly sponsored by Reps. Ron Maag, R-Lebanon, and Andy Thompson, R-Marietta, would amend the current state code to remove a requirement that during a traffic stop drivers must notify police officers if they're carrying a firearm.

"The patrol has concerns from a public safety viewpoint, not only for our officers, but also for motorists and their passengers," said Lt. Anne Ralston, spokeswoman for the Ohio State Highway Patrol.

She said rules in the state law that govern licensing to carry concealed firearms have been through several changes over the years and HB 422 is the just latest proposal for a change.

"Currently when I have contact with a motorist who has a concealed carry permit, the motorist is required to say 'I'm a concealed carry permit holder' when I approach the vehicle," Ralston said. "The patrol has a primary concern that repealing the requirement could impact officer and driver safety."

She said representatives from the patrol would be making those concerns known to legislators in the next few weeks when hearings on HB 422 are expected to take place.

Thompson said the amending legislation is basically focused on preventing confusion for drivers who have permits to carry a concealed weapon.

"Right now the driver has to put both hands on the wheel and announce he has a permit," Thompson said. "We're trying to make the law a little less bureaucratic."

He noted that Ohio is one of only four states that currently have such a mandate.

"For those who have passed the concealed carry permit test and meet the requirements, this could put them in a misdemeanor situation and they could lose their permit," Thompson said, adding that if a driver forgets to tell an officer he has a permit, the officer has the right to cite the motorist and suspend the concealed carry license.

"It streamlines the current law, eliminates unnecessary conflict and prevents the potential loss of concealed carry licenses," he said. "But I would want the support of law enforcement to make this change."

Marietta Police Chief Brett McKitrick said he, too, had some concerns about the proposal, which he believes could create bigger problems.

"I'd rather err on the side of safety for police officers," he said. "Everyone who has a concealed carry permit in Ohio knows what to do. We stop many people who have concealed carry permits and they're usually law abiding citizens. And if we stop someone for drunk driving we don't want them having a gun in the car."

McKitrick also noted that if a driver accidentally fails to announce that he has a permit, the officer has the discretion to not issue a citation for the violation.

"I don't think the argument that this creates confusion for drivers is convincing enough," he said. "This is a safety issue."

Washington County Chief Deputy Mark Warden agreed.

But Warden added that when he pulls a vehicle over for a traffic violation he enters the license plate number into his computer and is immediately notified if the driver has a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

"We can also tell by running the registration," he said. "I can understand if people forget but they're mandated to take an exam in order to get a permit, so they know the regulations."

Chesterhill resident Eric Norris said he believes law officers need to be made aware of a gun in a vehicle.

"They should know whether you have a gun," he said. "Police have a difficult job and I would hate to do it. So they should know if there's a gun in a car."

Norris said he obtained a concealed carry permit out of Florida where the law requires that a handgun in a vehicle be kept in a transport bag.

"I don't usually carry my gun unless we're going on vacation and we travel from one state to another," he said. "If an officer pulls my vehicle over I hand him my license, insurance card and place my concealed carry permit on top. If he asks to see the gun I just hand him the whole bag."

By: Sam Shawyer, Marietta Times

Maryland Shall Issue Review of 2012 Gun Legislation

Maryland -–(Ammoland.com)- Maryland Shall Issue Reviews current and pending Gun related Legislation for 2012.

House Bills 2012

HB-45 – Handgun Permits – Qualifications – Presumption and Burden of Proof – SUPPORT. No Hearing Scheduled. Repealing the requirement that the Secretary of State Police base a finding that an applicant for a handgun permit has a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun on an investigation; establishing a presumption that an applicant for a handgun permit has a good and substantial reason to wear, carry, or transport a handgun for the purposes of qualifying for a handgun permit; and establishing that the Secretary has the burden of specified proof.

HB -208 – Baltimore City Public School System – Governance – NO POSITION. This is just a functional bill that rewords some of the language in this part of the existing code. It’s only filed as a “gun bill” because this section of the code authorizes Baltimore City Schools Police Officers to carry a firearm. There’s nothing of interest for our folks.

HB-209 – Public Safety – Possession of Firearms – Crimes Committed in Other States – NO POSITION - No Hearing Scheduled. Prohibiting a person from possessing a regulated firearm, rifle, or shotgun if the person was previously convicted of an offense under the laws of another state or the United States that would constitute a crime of violence or a violation of specified provisions of law if committed in this State. This bill modifies HB-241 that passed last year. HB-241 specified that anyone convicted of any of a series of enumerated crimes of violence would be prohibited from owning any firearm. HB-209 extends that to include convictions in other states. We have reservations about how a correlation will be drawn between offenses in other states, where the crime may not be a disqualifying crime, and Maryland code. However, it’s likely that the trial attorneys, including many of the members of the General Assembly who are attorneys, are going to put this one to rest and it is better left to them.

HB-256 – Regulated Firearms – License Issue By Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia or West Virgina – Reciprocity – SUPPORT - No Hearing Scheduled. Specifying that a license to carry a regulated firearm, including a concealed regulated firearm, issued to an individual by Delaware, Pennsylvania, Virginia, or West Virginia is valid in Maryland.. We’ll have more on this bill in the very near future.

HB-300 – Public Safety – Handgun Permits – Renewal Period For Retired law Enforcement – POSITION PENDING

Senate Bills 2012
SB-64 – Public Safety -Machine Gun Registration – Notice To Renew – SUPPORT. Hearing Scheduled for Thursday, February 2 at 1:00pm. Requiring the Secretary of State Police, on or before March 15 in each year succeeding the registration of a machine gun, to notify the registrant in writing of the requirement to renew the registration.

By: Citizens Defense League of Maryland

NRA and NASGW Support American Heroes

Fairfax, Va. - Sporting goods wholesalers across the country are teaming with the National Rifle Association (NRA) to provide benefits to U.S. military personnel, law enforcement, and first responders.

The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers (NASGW) has now signed on to support the NRA Life of Duty program, which serves all those who wear a uniform and carry a firearm to protect the American people.

Participating NASGW members aim to raise $2 for each firearm sold in December while other members are providing a donation to the program. “Every penny of the proceeds will be used to purchase special NRA Life of Duty memberships for American heroes. We owe these brave men and women who risk life and limb daily for our safety and freedom an immeasurable debt of gratitude.NRA is humbled to help them inthis modest but meaningful way,” said NRA Executive Vice President Wayne LaPierre.

Through NRA Life of Duty (LOD), qualified active duty personnel receive valuable benefits including $25,000 in life insurance, hefty discounts on gear, and access to top-quality stories­­––about heroes just like them––through the LOD network and a unique digital magazine, NRA American Warrior.

Even better, thanks to generous donors, these memberships are provided at no cost to the serviceperson, law enforcement officer, or first responder.

By: NRA-ILA