Senate committee OKs bill to allow guns in bars
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An Ohio Senate committee has OK'd legislation to allow Ohio residents with a state concealed carry license to carry guns into bars and restaurants – with the stipulation that they do not consume alcoholic beverages.
In a 7-2 committee vote, lawmakers moved Senate Bill 17 to the full Senate, where a vote could take place this week.
According to a state overview of the legislation, the bill amends the state's "Concealed Carry Law to broaden the scope of where and how a properly licensed individual can lawfully carry a concealed handgun in a liquor permit premises and in a motor vehicle. The practical effect of these changes to current law is that there may be fewer violations of certain restrictions that, under current law, may lead to suspension and/or revocation of the concealed carry license by the county sheriff that issued the license.
"Given the fact that the overall rate of suspensions and revocations for all violations of the Concealed Carry Law is very small, between 1% and 2% statewide, it seems reasonable to conclude that the reduction in the number of statewide violations potentially resulting from the bill would also be very small. In addition to any reduction of concealed carry license suspensions, the bill also eliminates two felony of the fifth degree penalties related to the improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle. Given the comparatively small number of Concealed Carry Law violations and suspensions, it seems reasonable to conclude that any reduction in felony prosecutions resulting from the elimination of two prohibitions, that carried felony penalties, would also be quite small.
"The bill may eliminate a relatively small number of concealed carry-related felony violations statewide that county criminal justice systems would otherwise have had to process. Any such small reductions in criminal cases stemming from the bill carries the potential to decrease costs for counties related to investigating, prosecuting, adjudicating, and sanctioning the violator, as well as paying for defense counsel if the offender is determined to be indigent. Any resulting decrease in an affected county criminal justice system's expenditures will likely be minimal annually due to the small number of potential violations that might otherwise have occurred under current law and practice."[[In-content Ad]]
In a 7-2 committee vote, lawmakers moved Senate Bill 17 to the full Senate, where a vote could take place this week.
According to a state overview of the legislation, the bill amends the state's "Concealed Carry Law to broaden the scope of where and how a properly licensed individual can lawfully carry a concealed handgun in a liquor permit premises and in a motor vehicle. The practical effect of these changes to current law is that there may be fewer violations of certain restrictions that, under current law, may lead to suspension and/or revocation of the concealed carry license by the county sheriff that issued the license.
"Given the fact that the overall rate of suspensions and revocations for all violations of the Concealed Carry Law is very small, between 1% and 2% statewide, it seems reasonable to conclude that the reduction in the number of statewide violations potentially resulting from the bill would also be very small. In addition to any reduction of concealed carry license suspensions, the bill also eliminates two felony of the fifth degree penalties related to the improper handling of firearms in a motor vehicle. Given the comparatively small number of Concealed Carry Law violations and suspensions, it seems reasonable to conclude that any reduction in felony prosecutions resulting from the elimination of two prohibitions, that carried felony penalties, would also be quite small.
"The bill may eliminate a relatively small number of concealed carry-related felony violations statewide that county criminal justice systems would otherwise have had to process. Any such small reductions in criminal cases stemming from the bill carries the potential to decrease costs for counties related to investigating, prosecuting, adjudicating, and sanctioning the violator, as well as paying for defense counsel if the offender is determined to be indigent. Any resulting decrease in an affected county criminal justice system's expenditures will likely be minimal annually due to the small number of potential violations that might otherwise have occurred under current law and practice."[[In-content Ad]]