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House Votes to Close Media Access Loophole PDF Print E-mail
Written by Daniel White   
Thursday, 16 March 2006

The Ohio House voted 51-43 to approve an amendment to amend an open records bill to allow concealed handgun license holders to block the release of their name, date of birth, and county of residence to journalists.

Originally intended to be an avenue for journalists to determine whether or not a person charged with a gun crime was a CHL holder, it was quickly abused by several of the anti-gun news outlets and instead used to intimidate people intending to apply for a license.

The bill now moves to the senate, where it is expected that opponents of the change will attempt to have this provision removed from the bill to allow the media abuse to continue.


The original bill's sponsor, Rep. Scott Oelslager, complained about the late amendment to his bill and vowed to lobby for its removal in the Senate.
"I did not know this was coming until right before I walked in here," Oelslager, a Canton Republican, said on the floor of the Ohio House, moments after his bill was approved with the opt-out provision for permit holders.

The amendment was introduced by Rep. Tom Brinkman, a long-time friend of gun owners, and championed by Rep. Jim Aslanides, the father of Concealed Carry in Ohio.
"If journalists would simply stop abusing the lists by publishing all the names, we wouldn't be talking about this now," Aslanides said.

"That is not what the law was intended for. It was intended to make sure the law was working. [The media] didn't comply with the law."

Plain Dealer Editor Doug Clifton, whose paper violates the media access loophole more than any other, continued to defy the legislature.

"We have always believed that the public should have access to these records, not just the press," Clifton said. "That's why we published the permit holders' names.

"This amendment is just another slap in the public's face," he said.

No, Mr. Clifton; what is a slap in the face is abusing access to the lists in a blatant attempt to cast CHL holders in a negative light and try to deter them from applying for a license.

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