I’ve got some great news, but I also have some alarming news, so I hope you’ll read this email and take quick action!
Good News
The great news is that Constitutional Carry is scheduled for a vote in the House Federalism Committee this coming week, possibly on Wednesday.
Before a vote happens, however, the Federalism Committee will be holding an “interested party testimony” hearing, and that is scheduled for Wednesday morning at 9:30am.
IF it gets over quickly enough, the Federalism Committee may even hold the vote yet that day, deciding whether or not Constitutional Carry advances out of Committee and passes on for House Floor action!
That’s why I hope you’ll send your pre-written email to the House Federalism Committee telling them you want them to vote YES on Constitutional Carry!
More on that in a moment, but first let me tell you the bad news.
Bad News
The bad news is that weak-kneed Republican Representative Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) is running a “fig leaf” amendment to HB178 in order to appease some of the anti-gunners on the committee.
Rep Koehler’s Amendment (Amendment AM045X2) mandates that a brochure shall be distributed with every new firearm sale summarizing Ohio law’s on deadly force and dispute resolution.
This sounds okay on the face of it, but we need to dig deeper.
You see, Ohio doesn’t have a Stand-Your-Ground law, and gun owners still have a “duty to retreat” from a violent killer.
So by definition Kyle Koehler’s amendment would continue urging people to try to retreat from a rapist or killer instead of defending themselves or their families!
That deadly mandate in Ohio’s law should be abolished instead of enhanced, and that’s what Koehler’s amendment would do.
The fact is, Ohio’s “duty to retreat” law gets good people killed.
But pouring more gas on the fire, Koehler’s horrible amendment will easily be used by anti-gun prosecutors to drive nails into the coffins of law-abiding gun owners forced to use firearms to defend themselves.
For example, think of anti-gun Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael O’Malley.
O’Malley would LOVE to stroll in front of a jury box, waving Koehler’s terrible brochure, telling the jury that “gun owner Betty Buckeye KNEW that she had a duty to retreat because she was given Koehler’s brochure when she bought her Glock 43X. But she didn’t even try! Don’t believe her, folks. She can sit here in this courtroom and tell us all that the deceased was trying to rape her, but how would we know? Why didn’t she just run away?”
This scenario isn’t hard to imagine, because anti-gun liberal prosecutors like O’Malley LOVE to punish gun owners, and that’s what Keohler’s amendment would empower him to do!
Action
Quite frankly, Rep Koehler’s amendment continues Ohio’s insult to gun owners that is our not having a Stand-Your-Ground law, and the only place for it in Columbus is in the trash compactor outside of the legislative office building.
That’s why we’re asking you to click the “Email the Committee!” button right now!
As you’ll see, this pre-written email to the House Federalism Committee urges them to vote NO on any weakening amendments to HB178 and to vote YES on the underlying bill, HB178!
Please send your email right away and ask your friends to do the same.
(NOTE: If your email has a problem automatically pulling up the information at the link, please copy and paste the addresses, subject line and message body found at the bottom of this email into your own browser and send it that way!)
But I must also ask you for your generosity.
Ohio Gun Owners is mobilizing gun owners day in and day out in an effort to raise an army of engaged activists across Ohio who are fighting to defend our gun rights.
And those efforts cost money.
Please help support these efforts in any way you can.
If you can afford $1,000, we cannot thank you enough.
If you can afford $100, $50 or even $25, that would be a tremendous help!
Whatever you do, please contact the Federalism Committee, as that is most important.
For Ohio,
Chris Dorr
Executive Director
Ohio Gun Owners
Not a member? Join HERE.
Already a member? Contribute HERE.
Email Recipient Addresses
rep50@ohiohouse.gov, rep27@ohiohouse.gov, rep74@ohiohouse.gov, rep78@ohiohouse.gov, rep66@ohiohouse.gov, rep93@ohiohouse.gov, [email protected]
Subject Line
Vote NO on the Koehler Amendment, and vote YES on HB178!
Message Body
Dear Members of the House Federalism Committee,
I’m writing you this email to encourage you to vote NO on Representative Koehler’s Amendment to HB178, and to also vote YES Rep Ron Hood’s technical amendment (AM_133_0721) and the underlying bill as written.
Representative Koehler’s Amendment, #0457×2, may sound innocent, but it will get good people killed by continuing the terrible requirement for a lawful citizen to “retreat” from a violent killer or rapist instead of acting in self-defense.
Gun owners are sick and tired of watching states all across America pass sweeping pro-gun legislation while we get nothing from our “pro-gun” majorities.
Please kill the Koehler amendment to HB178, adopt the Hood amendment and vote it out of the House Federalism Committee and put it on the House floor for a full up-or-down vote.
As a member or supporter of Ohio Gun Owners, we are a growing army of engaged, mobilized 2nd Amendment voters who want bold leadership from our House Republicans without compromising or placating the enemies of our freedom and the Second Amendment.
Thankfully, OGO is closely monitoring the actions of this General Assembly and will be reporting the Assembly’s actions directly back to me and again during Ohio’s election season.
Ohio Gun Owners is organized as a 501(c)(4) organization under IRS code and contributions are not deductible for income tax purposes.