Pivotal Ohio Gun Rights Activist Passes Away

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Published on Wednesday, 30 November -0001 00:00

Written by Jeff Garvas

UPDATE: There is a Enquirer Story on Vernon's passing.

Ohioans For Concealed Carry has learned that Vernon Ferrier passed away Wednesday, March 1, 2006, at the age of 64. Ferrier was one of the original plaintiffs in the Klein v. Leis case that challenged Ohio's one hundred year old concealed carry prohibition, and made it from Hamilton County courts to the Ohio Supreme Court. Cincinnati.cm Obituary of Vernon Ferrier

A forum discussion was started in the OhioCCW Forums

Ohioans For Concealed Carry and the Second Amendment Foundation worked with Vernon Ferrier, Chuck Klein, and the other plaintiffs to pursue those court challenges.

Ferrier started a true grassroots uprising in his neighborhood by stating that he was going to go for a walk carrying a firearm openly, and that anyone could join him. Many people from across the State of Ohio did, and the brain child of Ferrier became a statewide movement by gun owners, growing by leaps and bounds each time one was scheduled.

Ohioans For Concealed Carry built upon Ferrier's idea and assisted coordinators with numerous Open Carry Self-Defense walks across the State of Ohio, including one around Governor Bob Taft's mansion and the Ohio Statehouse. Finally, in December of 2003, an open-carry shopping event was held in Vermillion, Ohio with amazing success.

Ferrier's impact on the Ohio gun rights movement was undeniably instrumental in the passage of Concealed Carry. He will be greatly missed by many of the friends who met him through his activism.

The following letter was received by Ohioans For Concealed Carry from Jeff Smith, one of the many people who met Ferrier at his first open-carry walk.

From: "Jeffry K. Smith"

Vernon Ferrier, one of the plaintiffs in the groundbreaking Ohio firearm civil rights case, Klein vs Leis, is dead of a presumed heart attack. He left his wife, children, and other relatives.

Vernon was a hairdresser in the Hyde Park area of Cincinnati.

My wife called me this morning and told me of his passing, and an extensive obituary in the Cincinnati Enquirer, to which I cannot find a link yet.

Here is the death notice: [posted above]

As you may know, Vernon Ferrier, Chuck Klein, and Pat Feely (and a fourth plaintiff?) filed suit against the Hamilton County Sheriff, Simon Leis. Their claim was that concealed carry was illegal, but that open carry, though supposedly legal, would subject the carrier to police stops and potential charges of disturbing the peace, menacing, disorderly conduct, etc.

Vernon's irritation with the the Ohio Supreme Court's lengthy delay in ruling in the Klein vs Leis case caused him to arrange the first "Open Carry Walk" in the Cincinnati neighborhood of Northside. As it happened, the OSC released its ruling a few days before the Northside Walk took place.

Vernon's first Walk was patterned statewide by local organizers in the weeks and months which followed, as the vaunted open carry "Defense Walks".

The Walks preceded and in my mind, were a critical element in the process of passage of Ohio's "shall-issue" concealed carry legislation.

Besides talking to him on various occasions, I had the privilege of open carrying with him one night in his neighboorhood, on empty streets, and visiting various shopowners. It was just me, his attorney, Tim Smith, and Vernon and his tactical shotgun.

I miss him: who he was as a person, and what he did for the gun rights movement in Ohio.

The following was received from Chuck Klein:

From: Chuck Klein

I am saddened to report that VERNON FERRIER passed away. Vern was one of the original plaintiffs in the Klein vs. Leis suit that challenged Ohio's CCW laws.

Vern died of a hear attack while in his automobile. The following was not reported in the newspaper (but came to me from Tim Smith, lead attorney in the subject suit): Vern was carrying a handgun under his Ohio license and was in compliance with the Ohio requirement to have the gun exposed while in a motor vehicle. While he lay dying in his car - with his gun exposed - a person or persons unknown stole his handgun from his still warm body. Now there is another "illegal" handgun out there all because of the outrageous requirement of the licensee to expose his firearm while in a motor vehicle.

I am confident that Vern would appreciate passing this message along in hopes of waking up Governor Taft and the OSP to the danger and foolish requirement of exposed carry in a motor vehicle.

Chuck Klein

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