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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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Canton City Council President finds common ground with OFCC

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Published on Sunday, 20 November 2011 03:05
Written by Gary Witt

What do you do when a prominent politician blames a problem on people who are not the cause? This was the question that OFCC faced in late July after Canton City Council President Allen Schulman went on a four-minute tirade against guns and lawful concealed carry in Ohio.

Schulman’s attack came shortly after OFCC released a dash-cam video showing Canton police patrolman Dan Harless threatening to execute a handcuffed driver during a traffic stop. Harless’ obscenity-laced rant centered on the fact that the driver was a concealed handgun licensee. Harless’ charges against the driver were thrown out in court.

The entire saga, from dash-cam video to trial for the driver, can be seen on the Canton update page.

Knowing that legal gun ownership and lawful concealed carry were again being used by an anti-gun politician to divert public attention from a real problem, OFCC’s Phil Mulivor published a response to Councilman Schulman, naming Schulman Idiot of the Day on OFCC’s home web page. Shortly after publication, Schulman contacted OFCC in an effort to clarify his remarks and open a dialogue.

Mulivor had a 40-minute conversation by phone with Schulman and afterwards said, “Despite our dramatic differences of opinion, and despite the fact that those opinions were on prominent display in the press, Mr. Schulman was a true gentleman to me in all respects.” Almost as an afterthought Mulivor invited Schulman to join him at a shooting range and the councilman accepted immediately. 

Seeing an opportunity to change Schulman’s attitude about lawful concealed carry, OFCC invited former Governor Ted Strickland, an advocate of Ohio’s concealed carry law, to the event. He accepted, and, while Mulivor began coordinating possible dates for the event, OFCC’s Legislative Coordinator Gary Witt began looking for a host range. Many weeks passed before all participants could clear a date on their calendars. Monday, Nov. 14 turned out to be the magic day. 

Black Wing Shooting Center in Delaware stepped forward to host the event. When Monday, Nov. 14 was locked in as the date, Black Wing, which is normally closed on Mondays, gave its full support not only by opening for the event, but also by donating range time, targets, and eye/ear protection, while remaining closed to the public. OFCC members supplied handguns and ammunition. 

Media access was by invitation only, and included the Canton Repository, Columbus Dispatch, Delaware Gazette, and NBC and ABC news.

Governor Strickland and Councilman Schulman met OFCC members Phil Mulivor, David Kessler, Gary Witt, and Bryan Ledford at Black Wing at 1 p.m. on Nov. 14.  Bryan, an accomplished photographer, didn’t stop taking pictures from the time the guests arrived until after they left, and you can view his entire gallery by clicking here.

After some coffee (compliments of Black Wing), donuts, and general conversation, there was a safety briefing, then all participants were off to the indoor range where there was a variety of pistols and revolvers to choose from. It had been a while since either Gov. Strickland or Councilman Schulman had fired a handgun, so instructors reviewed grip, stance, sight picture, and trigger control. After about 30 minutes of shooting, news crews were admitted to the building to observe through the range’s large viewing window. After the shooting, news media were allowed onto the range, where Councilman Schulman gave an on camera interview while Governor Strickland talked with the press. 

Everyone agreed that they thoroughly enjoyed the event. As the afternoon concluded, Councilman Schulman expressed an interest in shooting again, and Philip Mulivor promised to join him for that follow-up event. When asked if he would testify in favor of OFCC’s bill to eliminate LEO notification, Schulman unhesitatingly replied, “Yes.”

That made a great day even better.