May
24
Thursday
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
Read the Full Story
Search OhioCCW
Join OFCC Today!
Upcoming Events
| 2012 Party In The Park When: August - TBD |
L.A. Times Discovers Open Carry
- Published on Sunday, 08 June 2008 08:24
- Written by Daniel White
The Los Angeles Times ran an article yesterday that was picked up by several other papers, including The Seattle Times and the San Francisco Chronicle, covering the movement towards returning open carrying of firearms to, as they put it, "make a firearm as common an accessory as an iPod."
The article covers a couple of the reasons for open carry, hot weather and open promotion of gun rights, but proponents of this carry method also cite deterrence of criminals, ease of access in an emergency, desensitization of the public (many of whom equate carrying a gun as being a bad guy), and more.
Correctly reported, "the movement has attracted grandparents, graduate students and lifelong gun enthusiasts."
A national gun rights group is dedicated primarily to openly carrying of firearms, our friends at OpenCarry.org. Their website notes the open carry status of all 50 states. Ohio is listed as an "Anomalous Open Carry State," which they define as "Open carry permitted generally by state law, but lacks preemption or entails significant restrictions." In Ohio, open carry is legal for everyone legally allowed to own a handgun provided it is not prohibited by local restrictions, in any place prohibited by federal law, or in a motor vehicle (which requires a Concealed Handgun License). Private businesses may have their own prohibitions or restrictions (Wal-Mart, for example, has stated that in states where concealed carry is permitted, they require firearms to be concealed).
The experiences noted in the article were very similar to the time I open carried before HB12 passed. For me, only one person even noticed, and nobody panicked. However, there was one incident noted in the article that illustrates what can happen when police do not know the finer points of carry law.
[Travis] Devereaux has been stopped several times by police, most memorably in December when walking around his neighborhood.
An officer pulled up and pointed his gun at Devereaux, warning he would shoot to kill. In the end, eight officers arrived, cuffed Devereaux and took his gun before Devereaux convinced them they had no legal reason to detain him.
Devereaux saw the incident as not giving ground on his rights. "I'm proud that happened," he said.
Ohioans For Concealed Carry members have reported similar incidents with police while openly carrying. We invite readers to visit the Ohio Open Carry Discussions section of our forums to discuss this complex issue in depth.