| OFCC Announces The Dan Sayers Legal Defense Fund |
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| Written by Jeff Garvas | |
| Friday, 09 June 2006 | |
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CLEVELAND, June 9th - Ohioans For Concealed Carry announced today the formation
of a legal defense fund being coordinated on behalf of OFCC member Dan Sayers.
Sayers who was recently arrested by Oregon, Ohio police and charged with
possession of a firearm in public places and failure to inform police officers
of concealed weapons. Mr. Sayers has plead not guilty to these charges.
Sayers was openly carrying two firearms in compliance with State of Ohio law; however, he was in violation of a city ordinance, which prohibits "possession of a firearm in a public place." Sayers was pulled over after shopping at a gas station. Police responding to a “man-with-a-gun” call ordered him out of his vehicle and to the ground, at gunpoint. "Oregon police charged Mr. Sayers with a first degree misdemeanor that completely prohibits firearms in their community," said Jeff Garvas, president of Ohioans For Concealed Carry. "A complete prohibition of firearms conflict with Sayers' constitutional right to possess a firearm for his personal protection and Ohio's concealed handgun laws." Ohioans For Concealed Carry is very concerned that cities such as Oregon continue to enforce ordinances that completely prohibit possession of firearms despite Ohio's comprehensive concealed handgun licensing law, and the Ohio Supreme Court rulings that state a complete ban on the possession of firearms violates Section 4, Article I of the Ohio Constitution. Section 4, Article I of the Ohio Constitution confers upon the people of Ohio the fundamental individual right to bear arms for "their defense and security." This clause allows a person to possess firearms for defense of self and property. Sayers has retained attorney Daniel T. Ellis of Anspach Meeks Ellenberger LLP. Ellis is one of the attorneys representing OFCC in a action challenging a ban on firearms in Clyde, Ohio public parks. A judge has ordered an injunction prohibiting enforcing this ban while the case is pending. Ohioans For Concealed Carry has pledged to match the first $2500 in contributions to the legal defense fund, dollar for dollar. To contribute online please visit https://www.OhioCCW.org/catalog, and to contribute offline please send a check or money order (made out to Ohioans For Concealed Carry) to P.O. Box 25488, Cleveland, OH. 44125. Please write "Dan Sayers Legal Defense Fund" in the memo area of any check or money order. Contributions to this fund are not tax deductible. Any funds raised in excess of the costs of defending Day Sayers will be put into OFCC's general fund and used for other CCW litigation or defense endeavors, such as our case against the City of Clyde, Ohio. Ohioans For Concealed Carry, formed in 1999, is Ohio's largest grassroots gun rights activist organization. OFCC is well known for its efforts in passing concealed carry reform, a campaign of open-carry firearm walks aimed to attract attention to the issue, and has been a plaintiff in firearms related lawsuits such as Klein v. Leis and Ohioans For Concealed Carry v. City of Clyde. |