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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
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 Read the Full Story

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The Price of Zero Tolerance

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Published on Friday, 07 March 2008 10:56
Written by Jeff Garvas

Cleveland's Channel 5 news has a story out of Lima that demonstrates the cost of zero tolerance on our children: Police Arrest Girl Who Says She Took Knife To School To Cut Apple.

Zero tolerance policies are school official's answer to mass casualty shootings (where, quite honestly, the shooters were not hindered by the fact that murder is a serious criminal offense). Its somewhat of a given to say that you can't have a gun in a school as a child. But to say that key chains that look like a "weapon" are punishable, or my favorite, the children expelled for playing cops and robbers with finger-guns, is asinine at best.

We are expelling and punishing children (or in this case, young adults) who have no intent to do harm.

From the article:
School officials suspended the 17-year-old and police charged her with delinquency by possession of a deadly weapon on school property.

Police said the girl did not threaten anyone.
A delinquent is often used to refer to a juvenile who commits a minor criminal act, according to Wikipedia. If the girl did not threaten anyone how are her actions suddenly delinquent? How is the simple act of possessing a knife to cut up an apple for lunch a delinquent act? Would we charge that same 17 year old girl with the same delinquent charges if she walked to the nearest park and ate an apple with a knife?

What if she picked up a plastic knife in the cafeteria to cut up her lunch?

While the answer is no I am beginning to wonder if we are becoming the nanny state commonly accepted in the United Kingdom and really would consider criminal charges and arrest for mere possession of cutlery. Sadly, this young woman's record is marred both academically and with respect to criminal charges because of the knee jerk stupidity of zero tolerance policies. Not only was this young woman responsible and just in her actions, she was eating something more healthy than the school district likely offered that day.

My tolerance for zero tolerance has expired. If only we could arrest some delinquent school officials over it I might actually feel better.