OHIO LEGISLATURE OVERRIDES GOVERNOR’S VETO
Governor Bob Taft’s (R) veto of crucial statewide preemption legislation has been overridden by the state legislature. This was the first time in 29 years that the Ohio legislature overturned a Governor’s veto. On Thursday, December 7, the State House voted 71-21 to override House Bill 347. On Tuesday, December 12, the State Senate also voted (21-12) to override the veto, with three Democratic Senators voting in favor of the measure.
Championed by Representative Jim Aslanides (R-94), HB 347 will create statewide preemption ensuring that firearm laws are uniform throughout the state. Currently, 43 states have similar laws. Passing statewide preemption eliminates problems for gun owners who have been unduly burdened by local ordinances, such as the Columbus “assault weapons ban.” In addition, this legislation will correct a number of problems that have surfaced during the past year for Right-to-Carry permit holders. The most common complaint for license holders has been the “plain sight” requirement in a motor vehicle. HB 347 will eliminate this requirement.
To view how your State Legislator voted on the veto override, please visit www.nraila.org/Legislation/Read.aspx?ID=2510. Please take a moment to contact your State Representative at (614) 466-3357, and State Senator at (614) 466-4900, and thank them for defending your Second Amendment rights. If they opposed the veto override, please politely remind them you will remember their vote come election time.
A special thank you to all NRA members for your calls and e-mails in support of HB 347 during the legislative session!
MICHIGAN PROTECTS GUN OWNERS’ RIGHTS
Michigan’s State Legislature has passed a two-bill, NRA-backed package, to create the state’s “Emergency Powers Protection Act” (HB 6363 and HB 6364). The new laws prevent local governments from confiscating lawfully-owned firearms during a declared state of emergency, as witnessed in New Orleans following Hurricane Katrina. “Law-abiding Michiganders have won a significant victory in the State Legislature,” said NRA-ILA Executive Director Chris W. Cox. “The aftermath of Hurricane Katrina confirmed a fear long-held by American gun owners: the day government bureaucrats declare our Second Amendment null and void, leaving law-abiding citizens defenseless in the midst of chaos and lawlessness. We promised then to take measures to ensure that the Second Amendment is not another casualty during a declared emergency, and we are proud to have delivered on that promise.”
In the first year since Hurricane Katrina, state legislatures in Alaska, Idaho, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Virginia, and Louisiana passed measures that echo the spirit of Michigan’s “Emergency Powers Protection Act”. This fall, the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate passed a similar federal bill with broad, bipartisan support, and President Bush signed the measure in October.
Michigan’s bills passed overwhelmingly in the State Senate, 37-1, and unanimously in the State House, 105-0. “No matter what the circumstances, lawful gun owners have the right to possess their firearms in their homes,” Cox said. And if forced to evacuate, they have the right to transport their firearms to a safe place. Nobody has the right to disarm them. On behalf of our many NRA members in Michigan, I want to thank Representative Scott Hummel for his leadership and his dedication to seeing the ‘Emergency Powers Protection Act’ become law. I also want to thank the representatives and senators who recognized the will of the people and voted overwhelmingly to pass this sound legislation.”
COURT NIXES JERSEY CITY’S GUN RATIONING SCHEME
In a persuasively reasoned decision he read from the bench, New Jersey Superior Court Judge Maurice Gallipoli declared Jersey City’s one-gun-a-month handgun rationing law null and void, holding that it violates state preemption, equal protection, and was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Ordinance # 06-116, limited handgun purchases persons pre-certified by the State as non-criminals after undergoing extensive background checks. The ordinance criminalized Jersey City dealer sales of more than one handgun per month, deviating from New Jersey’s already strict gun control laws, that require separate government-issued permits for each handgun. Permits are only issued after an extensive, costly, and lengthy background investigation of the purchaser.
Jersey City Mayor Jerramiah Healy introduced the invalidated law earlier this year, in a rush to appear to be combating Jersey City’s mounting crime problems. The City Council passed the law by a vote of 6-2, despite a mountain of evidence that the law would not reduce crime because it targeted only law-abiding purchasers. The President of the City Council even called the measure “feel good” legislation that would probably not reduce crime--before voting in favor of the law.
The lawsuit was brought by the Association of New Jersey Rifle & Pistol Clubs (ANJRPC) as lead plaintiff, with the support of NRA-ILA, the NRA Civil Rights Defense Fund, and the New Jersey Association of Firearms Dealers (an affiliate of the National Shooting Sports Foundation).
FOREST SERVICE PLAN NEEDS CRUCIAL INPUT FROM SPORTSMEN
The Pike and San Isabel National Forests in Colorado are developing a management plan to shape the kinds of uses allowed on these Forests for the next 15 years. Seven public meetings are scheduled in January and February to give the public an opportunity to state how they want the Forests to be managed. The last time the management plan was updated was in 1984, so it is likely that the new plan will incorporate some significant changes. It is vital that sportsmen and women participate in the process to ensure that access and opportunities for hunting and recreational shooting are provided.
In its announcement, the Forest Service said that the principle issues will be recreation, ranching, oil and gas development, logging, forest thinning and off-road vehicle use. The meetings will be from 5:30 to 9:00 p.m., in the following locations:
January 17 - Leadville, National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum, 120 West 9th Street
January 18 - Salida, Chaffee County Fairgrounds, 10165 County Road 120
January 30 - Denver, Clements Community Center, 1580 Yarrow Street
January 31 - Colorado Springs, La Foret Conference Center, 6145 Shoup Road
February 14 -Westcliffe, Ranchera's Roost Cafe & Bowling Alley, 25 Main Street
February 15 - Pueblo, El Pueblo Museum, 302 N. Santa Fe Avenue
February 21 - Fairplay, Fairplay Fairbarn, 880 Bogue Street
