Ohioans For Concealed Carry’s Guns in Parking Lots Exemption Bill Efforts Introduced
Ohio –-(Ammoland.com)- Grassroots activism can be a lot of fun and rewarding when you see the fruits of your labor pay off in the form of legislative reform.
Today Representative Joe Uecker’s (R-Miami Township) office released a press release announcing the introduction of Ohio House Bill 571.
HB571 is legislation that would allow a concealed handgun licensee to store a firearm in a locked motor vehicle while parked on the premises of their employer — without fear of retribution from their employer for that completely lawful act.
“Employees should not be discriminated against just because they choose to exercise their second amendment right,” said Rep. Uecker.
“This legislation will prevent intrusive company policies on personal freedoms and possible dismissal simply based on the merit that management does not agree with the individual’s right.”
Under current law, many employees risk being fired if they properly store a legally owned handgun in their locked vehicles while at work. The legislation is aimed towards enabling people to protect themselves on the commute to and from work. Currently, 13 other states have enacted similar parking lot legislation, including Kentucky and Indiana.
“It’s a private property issue,” Rep. Uecker said. “Gun-free zones don’t work – they remove our most basic right as Americans to bear arms.”
Parking lots as Gun Free Criminal Protection Zones are one of OFCC’s legislative goals to resolve, and the credit in this endeavor goes to OFCC Coordinator Dave Milthaler for his relentless efforts to shop this legislation among sympathetic members of the Ohio House – as well as many of our supporters who called their elected officials and ask them to co-sponsor this bill.
Not only did he find someone to work with us to draft and introduce the bill, but Dave and Representative Uecker have brought THIRTY initial co-sponsors to the bill — nearly one third of the Ohio House has indicated support for this legislation at the onset.
We need your help to get this bill moving as the general assembly ends on December 31st. This bill could be fast tracked through the Ohio House and left with the Senate, or it could theoretically be amended into Ohio Senate Bill 239 — which languishes in the Ohio House and could be sent to the Governor for his signature.
With lawmakers not likely to take up legislation until November, our window of opportunity to succeed is narrowly defined — have you called your Representatives?
If you’re not a member of Ohioans For Concealed Carry please — join today and get involved — it is the power of grassroots activism that brings these ideas to the table and we need your support.
About:
Ohioans for Concealed Carry, founded in 1999, is a grassroots political activist organization. When founded, the primary goal of OFCC was getting concealed carry passed into law in Ohio. With that accomplished, our mission became to refine the concealed carry law and to expand and preserve the rights of all gun owners in Ohio. Visit: Ohioccw.org