Is Ohio the next state to California?

[DWS1117]

Just when it appears as if Ohio is on the right track with enacting CHL legislation, the city of Columbus passes its own "Assault Weapons Ban".

I found this story on Packing.org.

Hopefully the citizens of Ohio can find a way to defeat this at the state level. I admit that my legislative knowledge is seriously lacking, but there has got to be something that could be done to prevent cities from passing this type of law.

Text of article:

Ohio: Columbus City Council Unanimously Votes to Ban Assault Weapons

Press Release Source: Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence

Columbus City Council Unanimously Votes to Ban Assault Weapons
Monday July 11, 7:12 pm ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio, July 11 /PRNewswire/ -- With a unanimous city council vote of six to zero, Columbus joins other Ohio communities in banning assault weapons. Following a series of public hearings, Council members determined the risks to Columbus families increased unacceptably when the U.S. Congress failed to renew the federal law which expired on September 13th, 2004.

The Columbus ordinance bans the possession and transfer of assault weapons while continuing to allow the use of the weapons at licensed shooting ranges and in officially sanctioned competitive shooting events. Individuals who lawfully owned and possessed assault weapons before the ordinance's effective date may keep their weapons but have 90 days to register them with local authorities.

The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence (OCAGV) provided support for the ordinance and testified in the public hearings. Toby Hoover, Executive Director of OCAGV, congratulated the City on its progressive action to make Columbus a safer place to live and raise families.

Said Hoover, "Assault weapons are semi-automatic guns that are made to spray fire a high volume of bullets. Assault weapons are not hunting guns. They are people killers and we should never forget that we are talking about people, both victims and survivors. These guns are an assault on us all and we congratulate Columbus for regulating them."

Sue Ann Schiff, Executive Director of Legal Community Against Violence (LCAV), agreed: "Assault weapons are designed to kill humans quickly and efficiently. The Columbus ordinance is directed to military-style weapons designed for rapid spray firing, not to standard sporting firearms."

At the request of the chair of the Columbus Public Safety Committee, Michael Mentel, LCAV testified about assault weapons, and provided the Committee with its comprehensive report, Banning Assault Weapons - A Legal Primer for State and Local Action, which includes a model law. The report provides a legal framework for state and local governments interested in banning assault weapons. LCAV has a special interest in assault weapons: it was founded in 1993 following an attack in San Francisco in which a gunman with two assault weapons shot 14 people, killing nine.

For more information visit http://www.ohioceasefire.org and htpt://www.lcav.org .

To our brothers and sisters in arms in Ohio, keep fighting. Please don't join California, N.J., Mass., and New York as another state where your rights are taken away.

Banning Assault Weapons - A Legal Primer for State and Local Action, which includes a model law. The report provides a legal framework for state and local governments interested in banning assault weapons.

This is the part that worries me the most.

 

[zaijian]

Yeah, I thought Ohio was on the right track, too - but then I saw all the ridiculous restrictions and imbecilic rules that were included in the CCW bill - and I figured it was only a matter of time before they tried doing something even more outrageous.

My only hope is that Columbus has tried this twice before and been beaten both times, so hopefully this too shall pass.

If it weren't for the elected officials of the big cities, I think we'd be doing alright

 

[El Tejon]

Ummm, cities in Ohio have been passing "assault weapon" bans since 1989. This is Columbus' third law.

I like how they cite the murders in San Fransico but fail to mention that California banned "assault weapons" four years before the murders. Wow, what an effective law!

 

[CAS700850]

The big cities in Ohio will pass these "feel good" measures to show they are tough on crime, while the murder rates climb in proportion to the drug and gang problems. Meanwhile, in the smaller cities, the suburban areas, the rural areas, and such, people will continue to be legally armed against such problems. No way you'll get a state-wide measure passed. Same way Kerry won the big cities, but Bush won the state.

 

[field70]

No way you'll get a state-wide measure passed.

UNLESS....Coleman, the current Mayor of Columbus who is running for govenor, should happen to win, and carry enough Democrats in with him to take over the leadership. With the under handed stuff going on with Taft right now, this close to the election, it's a possibility. I pray Ted Strickland will beat Coleman in the primary..although he is a Democrat, Strickland is not anti..If we can't have Blackwell or Petro, he would be next best.

 

[Standing Wolf]

Ohio still has a certain amount of growing up left to do.

 

[thatguy]

I lived in Ohio for a number of years and found it to be like many other states in that the large urban areas are very liberal and anti-gun and the more rural areas are more conservative and pro-gun.

I lived in Cincinnati and at that time they had an AW ban that imposed felony counts for each gun and each magazine. Let's see... AR, FAL, M1 Carbine, G3, and around 200 total magazines... that makes 204 felony violations each day I lived there.

The cops and prosecutors in Cincy were such pricks that one guy took his AR and M1 carbine to the police to ask if they were legal in the city. He was arrested on the spot for trying to comply with the law. They didn't prosecute him because the cops crushed the M1 and "converted the AR for police use" (in other words, they stole it) so there was no evidence. The law was eventually overturned in court and I think they knew it was bad so that's why they didn't prosecute. But the poor guy lost his guns and went through Hell for trying to be law-abiding.

This was one of those things that made me decide not to be law-abiding. If crooked cops want to take my guns I say come and take them. Bring lots of help. I don't expect the crooked lawyers in public office to actually come to my house so I may have to go look for them. Fine.