# State gun law changes draw fire



## Buckeye (Jul 13, 2006)

This was the front page lead article in the Cleveland Plain Dealer today...oh by the way, in 2004 the Plain Dealer PUBLISHED a list of NE Ohio Residents with CCW Permits...there's a specific provision in our law where only the Media may access the names of individuals who apply for and receive CCW permits, so they thought it would be a great idea to publish that list as a Public Service. You know so criminals can look your address up and Mapquest houses to steal from, or so that good neighbors can be watchful of all the evil [law abiding] gun nuts out there.

:smt076 :smt076 :smt076

*State gun law changes draw fire *
Local restrictions eliminated, drivers not required to keep weapons in plain sight

Friday, December 01, 2006
Damian G. Guevara
Plain Dealer Reporter

Every time Euclid Patrolman Joel Barron pulls over a car he prepares for the worst.

"On every stop, you have to assume that there is a weapon [in the vehicle]," Barron said. "If there's a gun in the car, I want to know where it's at."

A bill passed by the legislature this week that changes the state's carrying concealed weapons law would alter how Barron and other patrol officers do their job. The proposal would eliminate a requirement that drivers keep weapons in plain sight.

Other provisions of the new law effectively eliminate city gun-control ordinances.

The measures in jeopardy include: assault weapons bans, junk gun bans, trigger lock requirements, gun registration requirements and bans against gun dealers operating near schools.

*Gov. Bob Taft has vowed to veto the bill*, but lawmakers could overturn his decision *[note: this article is a political campaign against a veto-override, a couple of Republican Senators already caved]*.

The changes have drawn ire from officials in local cities with strong gun-control laws. Cleveland Heights Mayor Ed Kelley criticized the law because it could nullify a local ordinance prohibiting weapons in parks.

"I think parks are for people and their families to enjoy," Kelley said. "We are a city of parks. I feel very strongly about this. I don't think concealed weapons should be in our parks."

Kelley said the new law will make it harder for police officers to do their jobs. Shaker Heights Police Chief Walter Ugrinic agreed.

Shaker Heights has longstanding gun-related laws, including a dangerous weapons ban. Gun shops are not allowed in the city.

"Cities should have the right to pass legislation as they choose," Ugrinic said. "Cities aren't passing state laws, so the state should respect the desires of the community."

Ugrinic said cities should have the right to pass legislation as they choose when it comes to controlling guns within their borders.

But one lawmaker, Rep. Jim Aslanides, a Coshocton Republican, said it is unreasonable for licensed gun owners to have to know every ordinance in every town. A uniform state law overrides city ordinances that "challenge the ability for permit-holding gun owners to comply," he said.

Ugrinic this week expressed his concern that nullifying the plain sight requirement for weapons in cars would create another burden for officers working the streets.

"We're giving police officers yet another challenge [during a moment] when they have to make tough decisions in a short amount of time," Ugrinic said.

In exchange for easing up on the plain sight provision, lawmakers compromised with the State Highway Patrol and other police organizations. A driver carrying a concealed weapon has always had to declare that he or she is packing; now the penalty for not telling an officer is more severe, from a fifth-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor. A second strike could lead to a fifth-degree felony.

Regardless of what laws pass in Columbus, Barron said he will always do his duty with safety in mind. Especially since outlaws don't necessarily play by the rules, he said.

"I'm not up to date on the changes," Barron said. "Somebody who is taking the time to get a [concealed weapons] license, they've paid to take a course and they've chosen to exercise their Second Amendment right . . . those are not the people I'm worried about."

Patrol officers typically can determine if they've stopped a car owned by someone with a permit to carry a concealed weapon through a background check performed before approaching the car. The increased probability of a gun stored in the vehicle - whether that gun is out in the open or not - forces officers to be more alert, police said.

Middleburg Heights Patrolman Tad Rinas said the sight of a gun in a car makes an officer even more cautious because a driver or passenger could reach for it.

Even if the driver is a permit-holder, "you have no idea what their intentions are, or what they've gone through that day," Rinas said.

On the flip-side, if a gun-carrying driver has a weapon holstered, the person would have to make an exaggerated move to draw it, giving the officer more time to react, Rinas said.

After weighing the pros and cons, Rinas said the more knowledge an officer has going into a stop, the better.

"Safety is No. 1," he said.

Plain Dealer Reporter Tasha Flournoy contributed to this story.

© 2006 The Plain Dealer
© 2006 cleveland.com All Rights Reserved.


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## OrangeSkies (Jul 5, 2006)

> Even if the driver is a permit-holder, "you have no idea what their intentions are, or what they've gone through that day," Rinas said.


That's the biggest pile of crap I've heard yet.

Using this bullsh*t logic, the same can be said about the police officer. They may be considered as "professionals", but that really doesn't mean a damn thing. They're human beings first and as such they're every bit as succeptible to mood sways as the person they're pulling over. Maybe even more, judging from some of the recent news headlines of questionable police shootings.


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## Baldy (Jun 21, 2006)

I am so glad I left that state. What a bunch of jerks.


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## Buckeye (Jul 13, 2006)

The crappy thing is that I work with a police force and the officers on our beat could either give a care less or are actually happy to have more law abiding citizens on the street. They know you may be packing because your CCW pops up when they run your plate...unlike the criminals. I don't know where they get these officers cow-towing to the gun fearing liberal media; well I guess it is Cleveland police politics, they might get in trouble if they didn't tow the line, that and there are plenty of officers brainwashed by their LEO Union BS :roll:


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## Revolver (Aug 26, 2006)

Buckeye said:


> The crappy thing is that I work with a police force and the officers on our beat could either give a care less or are actually happy to have more law abiding citizens on the street. They know you may be packing because your CCW pops up when they run your plate...unlike the criminals. I don't know where they get these officers cow-towing to the gun fearing liberal media; well I guess it is Cleveland police politics, they might get in trouble if they didn't tow the line, that and there are plenty of officers brainwashed by their LEO Union BS :roll:


The problem lies on the administrative level. They deal with the media and the PR.


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