Combat-wombat
Member
- Joined
- Jan 2, 2003
- Messages
- 1,683
http://www.bradycampaign.com/press/release.asp?Record=507
Washington, D.C. -- Today the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence hailed the 5-2 decision by the Supreme Court of Ohio's ruling in Klein v. Leis, upholding the constitutionality of Ohio's longstanding law prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons. The Brady Center's Legal Action Project, along with the office of the City Solicitor, represented the City of Cincinnati, a primary defendant, throughout the case.
"We applaud the Supreme Court's emphatic holding that it is perfectly reasonable to ban hidden handguns in order to protect public safety," said Michael Barnes, President of the Brady Center and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United With the Million Mom March. "As the Court noted, for over 100 years, the Ohio General Assembly has wisely recognized that 'prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons helps maintain an orderly and safe society.' In this case the gun lobby argued that for over a century Ohio legislators have supported a law that was bad policy and unconstitutional. The Supreme Court wisely and overwhelmingly rejected the gun lobby's arguments. The gun lobby now wants Ohio to abandon its longstanding policy, and deprive police of the ability to bar dangerous persons from carrying hidden handguns in hospitals, churches, bars, schools, shopping malls, or football games. The law enforcement community understands that allowing almost anyone to carry hidden guns anywhere will endanger Ohioans. The current Ohio legislature would be wise to listen to the law enforcement community, the Court, and the Ohio legislators of the past hundred years, and reject the gun lobby's extremist positions."
"The Court was also correct in rejecting the gun lobby's phony argument that there is a constitutional right to carry hidden guns," Mr. Barnes said. "For too long the gun lobby has misused constitutional principles to try to prevent enactment of reasonable gun laws."
In the case of Klein v. Leis, four individuals, and three groups, including the Second Amendment Foundation, filed a lawsuit against the Governor, Attorney General and State of Ohio, the City of Cincinnati, and over 50 chiefs of police, sheriffs, and local officials, seeking to bar enforcement of Ohio's concealed-carry laws, and to declare those laws unconstitutional. In January 2002, Hamilton County Judge Robert Ruehlman sided with the plaintiffs, overturning Ohio's concealed-carry ban and prohibiting police from enforcing the ban. The judge's ruling was upheld by the Appeals Court, although enforcement of that decision was stayed. The Supreme Court's decision overturns those decisions and reinstates Ohio's longstanding concealed carry ban.
The Brady Center's Legal Action Project, which works to defend and uphold reasonable federal, state and local gun laws and regulations, is co-counsel for the City of Cincinnati with the City Solicitor in this case. The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio also submitted an amicus curaie brief asking the Supreme Court to review and reverse the Appeals Court decision.
For additional background information on this case, please go to http://www.gunlawsuits.org/docket/docket.asp
Washington, D.C. -- Today the Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence hailed the 5-2 decision by the Supreme Court of Ohio's ruling in Klein v. Leis, upholding the constitutionality of Ohio's longstanding law prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons. The Brady Center's Legal Action Project, along with the office of the City Solicitor, represented the City of Cincinnati, a primary defendant, throughout the case.
"We applaud the Supreme Court's emphatic holding that it is perfectly reasonable to ban hidden handguns in order to protect public safety," said Michael Barnes, President of the Brady Center and Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence United With the Million Mom March. "As the Court noted, for over 100 years, the Ohio General Assembly has wisely recognized that 'prohibiting the carrying of concealed weapons helps maintain an orderly and safe society.' In this case the gun lobby argued that for over a century Ohio legislators have supported a law that was bad policy and unconstitutional. The Supreme Court wisely and overwhelmingly rejected the gun lobby's arguments. The gun lobby now wants Ohio to abandon its longstanding policy, and deprive police of the ability to bar dangerous persons from carrying hidden handguns in hospitals, churches, bars, schools, shopping malls, or football games. The law enforcement community understands that allowing almost anyone to carry hidden guns anywhere will endanger Ohioans. The current Ohio legislature would be wise to listen to the law enforcement community, the Court, and the Ohio legislators of the past hundred years, and reject the gun lobby's extremist positions."
"The Court was also correct in rejecting the gun lobby's phony argument that there is a constitutional right to carry hidden guns," Mr. Barnes said. "For too long the gun lobby has misused constitutional principles to try to prevent enactment of reasonable gun laws."
In the case of Klein v. Leis, four individuals, and three groups, including the Second Amendment Foundation, filed a lawsuit against the Governor, Attorney General and State of Ohio, the City of Cincinnati, and over 50 chiefs of police, sheriffs, and local officials, seeking to bar enforcement of Ohio's concealed-carry laws, and to declare those laws unconstitutional. In January 2002, Hamilton County Judge Robert Ruehlman sided with the plaintiffs, overturning Ohio's concealed-carry ban and prohibiting police from enforcing the ban. The judge's ruling was upheld by the Appeals Court, although enforcement of that decision was stayed. The Supreme Court's decision overturns those decisions and reinstates Ohio's longstanding concealed carry ban.
The Brady Center's Legal Action Project, which works to defend and uphold reasonable federal, state and local gun laws and regulations, is co-counsel for the City of Cincinnati with the City Solicitor in this case. The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio also submitted an amicus curaie brief asking the Supreme Court to review and reverse the Appeals Court decision.
For additional background information on this case, please go to http://www.gunlawsuits.org/docket/docket.asp
