In Ohio, you cannot carry (openly or concealed) in an establishment that has a class D liquor license. Originally intended to stop people from having firearms in bars, the law also extends to most restaurants.
For instance, when Mike and I visit our favorite Thai restaurant, we cannot carry even though we only ever have tea with our pad kee mao and noodles curry. Apparently the state of Ohio believes that just being in the same room where alcohol is served will turn us into bloodthirsty, trigger-happy monsters.
Some might think, "You're just going out to eat - it's a nice little restaurant, what could possibly happen?"
What, indeed.
Shortly after midnight on May 25th, three masked gunmen
robbed a restaurant in the affluent, upper middle class suburb of Solon, Ohio. Suddenly a "safe" place became a place of violence and fear - and very few options for those who were forced to disarm.
As it stands now, you could go to a bar and drink a few beers, then get in your car and take that risky drive home. If caught by the police, you would be charged with a misdemeanor. But if I get caught carrying my pistol while eating (and remaining completely sober) in my favorite restaurant, I would be charged with a felony. It makes no sense.
In the effort to make people "feel safe" the state of Ohio has created gun free zones...which sometimes, sadly, make unarmed victims out of the law-abiding and felons out of those who wish to protect themselves from real criminals.
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
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19 comments:
Jesus you have that crappy law too? Scary when Mass has it right when Ohio and almost all of the South has is wrong.
Here you can carry wherever so long as it isn't a school or a federal building (Places can ask you to leave if they choose to prohibit guns and figgure out you're packing) You can even pack in the seediest bar in South Boston, you just can't get drunk, that IS a crime and rightly so.
What's the penalty for violating that law? If its not a Felony I'd pay it no mind.
Feeling safe is like being safe, only different.
Hmmm...being eating establishments generally contain people with cash or credit cards, I'd say such places would be a good place for thieves to hit...esp. when they know no one is armed.
And yeah, it's a stupid law. The majority of people who carry aren't dumb enough to drink/get drunk while armed...if they do, they deserve to be jailed. Booze and firearms don't mix, ever.
weer'd - it's a felony. Which means no guns, ever again.
Well put, Kaveman.
Try living in Illinois where the whole state is like that.
Or Maryland, effectively
Michigan is at least sensible in this regard. You can't carry in a bar, or a dining establishment that makes its income at least 50% from alcohol. Because of this (and apparently some other laws affecting restaurants that I truly don't know or care about) most restaurants that have a "bar" separate them. And then legally, they are two separate businesses. So if I go to Applebees I can carry in the restaurant but I can't go over to the sports bar section.
These are rules I can tolerate.
I'm always reminding of the openning scene of Pulp Fiction...
We've been fighting this stupid "reasoning" in Virginia as well. Hang in there.
I dunno... Not saying you should break the law or anything, but "concealed" means just that.
If you live in ILLinois, Ohio, Mars or the moon.
I know people who look for concealed weapons when they go to a restaurant, so those evil concealed carry people don't suddenly jump up from dinner and go on a shooting spree.
Idiots.
I too play "spot the CCW'r" when out and about...
I think the problem is that to a lot of folks "concealed" means sorta hidden, which isn't good enough in my book.
YMMV...
I think the laws need rolled back, back to those with weapons committing attacks on persons or property must be punished promptly and painfully and publicly. But the politicians want feel good laws that a rules infringing on my (OUR!) right to keep and bear arms. Wake up PEOPLE!
Sorry, I was carrying all weekend and noticed that hugs in church would give me away, but I am not huggable and established that long ago.
Horrors!
"Gun-free-zones" is just code for "target-rich environments." When will people learn?
Some relief may be coming,
Buckeye Firearms Association applauds the Ohio House Criminal Justice Committee’s 9-3 vote to pass the amended SB184, Ohio's Castle Doctrine legislation.
SB184 passed the Ohio Senate in April with a 31-0 vote. Before being voted out of committee in the House, it was amended to include technical corrections and improve laws for law-abiding gun owners in Ohio.
The amendment provides a legal way for a person who does not have a concealed handgun license to transport an unloaded firearm in a motor vehicle. It allows a concealed handgun licensee to pick up a child from school, to carry a concealed firearm in one's own home without a license, to carry concealed in places such as grocery stores that sell alcohol for off-site consumption, to carry concealed in publicly-owned facilities such as park shelters, parking garages, and highway rest stop buildings, and to carry in an unlocked, closed glove compartment or center console.
The amendment also eliminates the written test to re-qualify for a Concealed Handgun License (CHL), defines a "loaded" firearm more clearly, provides for mandatory attorney's fees when police fail to return a firearm to its rightful owner, lessens th penalty for failure to inform a police officer of one's status as a CHL-holder if the officer had actual notice of the CHL, and prevents a landlord from evicting a tenant because they lawfully own and/or carry a firearm
Tragically, this is very common in the US. It's tough to fight. The majority of people like gun free zones.
It is often claimed that atheists are the most hated minority group in America. But I've always thought it's probably "gun people" instead.
Atheists at least have the Constitution to protect them. It's even impolite to denigrate their beliefs at a dinner party. But what? You want to be able to carry guns in restaurants?
That's blasphemy!
"to carry a concealed firearm in one's own home without a license"
Wait, you can't do that? And I thought California was bad...
I've been ignoring stupid laws like this all my adult life; call it 40 years. "Better judged by 12 than carried by six."
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