May
23
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OFCC Sues City of Cleveland Heights, Ohio
The sign you see here is posted in Cleveland Heights Parks implying possession of a firearm is a crime.
On Friday August 12th, 2011 Ohioans For Concealed Carry Filed a lawsuit against the City the City of Cleveland Heights. The litigation comes after many attempts to resolve concerns over laws that Cleveland Heights not only allowed to remain on their books, but also posted signs at their parks that continue to imply it is illegal to be armed. The City of Cleveland Heights has chosen to ignore our attempts at civil discourse. When individuals have contacted them representing themselves as residents of the City of Cleveland Heights their concerns apparently fell on deaf ears. When representatives of the organization have formally contacted the city's legal representation they've been laughed at and hung up on by the Law Director. It is this arrogance and refusal to work with Ohioans For Concealed Carry that has forced us to seek a remedy through the courts.
Our press release follows. Read the Full Story
Our press release follows. Read the Full Story
Canton PD Event Leads to New OFCC Legislation
When officer Harless of the Canton, Ohio police department came upon a vehicle stopped in the roadway most of us were focused on getting restaurant carry legislation signed into law.
What took place that evening has become an international viral video, calls for the resignation of the City Council president, and criminal charges against a man who is clearly heard trying to state that he has a license.
Ohioans For Concealed Carry has not just raised thousands of dollars in a legal defense fund, but we've written legislation to resolve this matter that Representative Danny Bubp has stated he's going to introduce this fall
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Toledo officials offer contradictory statements on park ban challenge
- Published on Wednesday, 30 November -0001 00:00
- Written by Jeff Garvas
Judging by recent coverage in the Toledo Blade, city officials are beginning to contradict themselves publicly as they struggle to decide how to deal with an activist who has announced he will challenge the city's ban on carrying firearms for self-defense in parks next week.
Yesterday, Toledo City Councilman Wilma Brown told the newspaper she would try to stop the parks department from issuing a permit for the gathering by claiming it carrying firearms in the park would be a political statement. She said that is prohibited in a public park.
But today, city law director Barb Herring contradicted Brown, announcing that advocates of the state's concealed-carry law can gather at Toledo's Ottawa Park next week, even though the event's organizer does not have a permit.
From the story:
- Bruce Beatty does not need a permit as long as it remains a small gathering April 9, city Law Director Barb Herring said. Still, Mr. Beatty's plan to carry his 45-caliber, semi-automatic handgun to the park won't be tolerated, she and others said.
"We want to be sure that our citizens feel safe in the parks. If need be, we will provide an appropriate response," Mayor Jack Ford said in a written statement.
That aside, other contradictions by city officials are creeping into news stories.
Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.
For example, Herring told the Blade yesterday that the city of Toledo justifies its ban, which Attorney General Jim Petro has called unenforceable, "by relying on a municipal code that gives its parks director the authority to pass rules in the parks - rules that set hours of operations or ban alcohol, for example."
Later in the same story, however, Toledo police Deputy Chief Derrick Diggs, said of the gathering: "The law is the law, and we can't have people out there violating the law."
So which is it, a law, or a park rule?
Perhaps the most laughable argument offered by the city law director was that because state law allows private property owners to prohibit guns on their premises, by extension the city of Toledo bans guns in parks on behalf of its citizens.
"We heard from a lot of our citizens, and, despite what the gun lobby says, they don't want people carrying weapons in those parks. They want their children to play in those parks," Ms. Herring told reporters.
It is likely that pro-self-defense Toledoans feel quite un-represented after hearing Herring's comments. After all, it's their property too.
(Barbara Herring may be contacted at 419-245-1020 or by emailing \n This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. > This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )
Furthermore, we all wish "wants" were enough to keep our armed sexual predators, child molestors, robbers, murderers, etc. out of our parks, neighborhoods and communities. But as it is with "no guns" signs, the "wants" of the defenseless for violent criminals to leave them alone are just not enough.
OFCC has provided the following statement to media queries on Beatty's efforts:
- "Ohioans For Concealed Carry agrees with Beatty's assertion that the state's concealed carry law preempts local gun control laws - laws which do nothing to deter criminals and succeed only in creating defenseless victims. As an organization, OFCC has chosen to represent our membership via litigation. Any appellate ruling on our suit against the City of Clyde, which Attorney General Petro has intervened in on our behalf, would take precedence over the City of Toledo.
Mr. Beatty, as an individual, has chosen the grassroots method of civil disobedience. While we would never advocate law-breaking, we most certainly support the right of Ohioans to express themselves appropriately when their elected officials begin to act as a law unto themselves."