OHIO ANTI-GUN GROUP FILES LAWSUIT TO BLOCK CONCEALED CARRY LAW

On April 9, 2004, an Ohio anti-gun group--The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence--filed a complaint with the state Supreme Court, demanding that local sheriffs cease issuing concealed carry permits.

The group claims that there are "numerous" problems with the new CCW law: that it does not adequately fund the permit process; that the procedures and resources to implement the law will not properly enforce the law's safety provisions; and that the above complaints taken together make the law unconstitutional.

Toby Hoover, executive director of the anti-gun group, said, "The carrying concealed weapons law is not being implemented with the public safety provisions mandated in the legislation. If we can't implement and enforce important safety provisions such as conducting thorough mental capacity checks, and keeping concealed weapons out of the hands of those with mental illness, Ohio should stop issuing CCW permits immediately."

According to the group's complaint, Ohio's concealed carry law does not provide adequate resources for proper screening or record checks on applicants with a history of mental illness. The law also does not adequately fund sheriffs to pay for the actual costs to process carrying concealed weapons applications.

Most observers of the Ohio concealed carry effort believe that the group's legal challenge will fail. However, as is the case in Missouri at the moment, the lawsuit may succeed in at least delaying the permit process. Missouri passed a concealed carry law on September 11, 2003, overriding Governor Holden's veto of the bill. A lawsuit filed by anti-gun groups in that state has the concealed carry permit process stalled while the courts examine the arguments.

The actions of The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence represent the new tactic of anti-gun groups nationwide: when they can't win legislatively, they turn to the courts.