OHIO LEGISLATION Police groups disagree on gun-bill provisions

Two key issues are holding up the measure.
By MICHELE C. HLADIK
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
COLUMBUS -- Before any legislation can be approved, Ohio law enforcement groups will need to work out their differences on how a concealed handgun can be carried in a vehicle, according to state Rep. Jim Aslanides.
The Coshocton Republican remains confident the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association, the Fraternal Order of Police and the Ohio State Highway Patrol can work out their differences on legislation that would allow Ohioans to carry concealed handguns with a permit.
House Bill 12 was approved earlier this year by the Ohio House and endured several changes before being passed in the Ohio Senate. The bill now passes into a much anticipated conference committee of legislators from both chambers to hammer out a compromise.
Aslanides, who introduced the bill earlier this year as well as similar legislation in past General Assemblies, said it's time to stop "finger pointing" and work on two key issues.
"Everybody finally agrees there are two problems that need fixing," he said.
How it's carried
The first issue involves the way a handgun is carried in a motor vehicle.
According to Aslanides, provisions added by the senate to require a permit holder to keep the gun unholstered and in plain sight while in a motor vehicle is actually more dangerous than the House version, which did not include that provision.
He said the measure was added to please the Ohio State Highway Patrol, but other law enforcement agencies did not agree with it because anyone could get hold of the gun and it would no longer be in the control of the person permitted and trained to use it.
Aslanides said he believes the groups can work through their differences to get the job done.
But according to Lt. Rick Fambro, a spokesman with the highway patrol, the patrol has no plans to meet with the other groups, and their position on the issue remains the same.
The patrol took a neutral stance on the bill as it was passed in the Ohio Senate, and it opposes the version passed by the House.
Jim Irvine, spokesman for Ohioans for Concealed Carry, is not sure the law enforcement groups will come to an agreement.
"It's hard to reach an agreement when they won't even sit down and discuss it," he said.
"From our position, the highway patrol is being highly unreasonable." The provision also requires the gun to be kept in a locked box if any of the vehicle occupants are under the age of 18.
According to Irvine, this would lead criminals to target families because they would be sure the family could not protect themselves since any handgun they may have would be locked in a box.
"I think it's disgusting to say my child's life is not worth protecting," he said.
Affirmative defense
Aslanides said the second key issue involved the ability to use an affirmative defense if carrying the gun during the permitting process.
He said the Senate added a provision removing affirmative defense. He said Ohioans should be able to carry a gun while going through the permitting process, which he added could take as long as six months or longer.
"It leaves people without a civil defense," he said.
Aslanides said he hopes to get an organizational meeting of the conference committee scheduled for this week.