Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Making your own sign, not cool

My local Aldi grocery store decided to make their own no-CCW sign. That's legal to do in Ohio-- unfortunately--but annoying. I had to walk back to my car, because it wasn't what I was looking for at a distance.


Here's the official recommended sign. Can you spot the difference?

Friday, October 14, 2011

Ohio SB 17 Restaurant Carry Now in Effect

I was a bit slow with this post, but better late than never.

As of September 30th, 2011 Ohio Senate Bill 17 is now in effect.  It now legal for a person licensed for concealed handgun carry to carry in restaurants that serve alcohol so long as they do not drink any alcohol and haven't been drinking previously.  Restaurants can still post a sign to keep your gun (and probably you) out of their restaurant.

It is now also easier to carry a firearm in a vehicle.  Basically all of the specific instructions for manner of carry are gone for CCW license holders.  Firearms should of course still be carried securely and cautiously, but how you choose to do so is now limited solely by safety concerns instead of arbitrary legal code.

Thank you to all of the sponsors and supporters of SB 17 and sister bill HB 45.  Though it was SB 17 that made it through the final leg of the process, the sponsors of HB 45 also put forth a valiant effort that ultimately lead to SB 17's successful passage.   Special thanks to Representative Lynn Slaby and Senator Frank LaRose for their excellent representation of my district and their yea votes.  Also, thank you to Governor Kasich for signing the bill.  I am not sure about a lot of his other decisions so far, but I do appreciate his help on getting this done.

I am not a lawyer so, please do read the bill details for yourself.  It can be found here.   The updated CCW Manual published by the Ohio Attorney general can be found here.