not guilty

Local gunowner and former Gun Nuts Radio guest, Bryan Ledford called this afternoon to let me know that he was found not guilty of a CCW violation.

Previously harassed by the police for open carrying, Bryan was pulled over, had (what he thought was) a gun pointed at him, and was then arrested for not informing the officer that he had a CCW and was currently carrying a weapon.**

When police in Ohio run your license plate through the LEADS system, it automatically notifies them of your background, vehicle registration, criminal history, and your CHL/CCW status but, according to state law, you are still required to inform the officer yourself.

The time between getting stopped and Bryan's arrest for failure to inform? 51 seconds - and Bryan was able to prove it.

Now, I'm not sure if Bryan got arrested by an overzealous jerkwad of a cop or if he's walking around with a target on his back due to his first altercation. Perhaps both? Who knows. Either way, it's time for Ohio to stop treating some of its most law-abiding citizens like criminals.

** more details from OFCC:

[Bryan] was charged with "Improperly handling firearm in a motor vehicle", in violation of ORC Section 2923.16(E)(3)(a). He was stopped for a law enforcement purpose, but was ordered out of his vehicle at weapon point (thought it was a gun, later realized it was a tazer). He followed the instructions of the officer to exit vehicle, hands up, etc. Then he notified the officer about the weapon (legally) in the vehicle. So, he did notify, but the officer didn't think it was "prompt" enough.

Vehicle was towed, with a $140 tow bill. And had to post $400.00 bond. Officer also seized his CHL and told him he can not carry. Which is not correct, because the CHL gets suspended upon a conviction, not upon being charged.

Open carry close to home

Ohioans for Concealed Carry has posted a story about a young man named Bryan being harassed by the Willowick police, who are very clearly ignorant of the law regarding open carry in Ohio.

Bryan was clever enough to record the interaction with his iPhone. A link to the audio can be found at the bottom of the article.

Willowick is just one town over from where I live. If I ever open carry, would policemen come, surround me, make me get on my knees and answer their questions as they try to intimidate me? There's only one way to find out.

An open carry walk is being planned for the area and I will be there.

technical difficulties, please stand by.

Last night's Gun Nuts Radio show went quite well despite my BTR randomly messing with my head and my cordless phone making the most godawful noise you ever heard in your life.

I really appreciate Bryan for coming on and sharing his story with us. He's as calm on air as he was during the open carry+LEOs incident he recorded. He also has started his own blog, Ohio Liberty, so be sure to pay him a visit and welcome him to the blogosphere.

This show hit (in more ways than one) very close to home for me - I've wanted to OC for a while now but have never felt brave enough to do it alone. Bryan has kindly agreed to meet with me sometime in the near future for a cup of coffee and my first open carry experience. There will photos and a full report, so stay tuned.

(Special thanks also to Buckeye Firearms and Ohioans for Concealed Carry)

in his own words...

A heartbreakingly honest tale of a young man's frightening journey into a labyrinthine legal system, Bryan has written an account of his arrest and acquittal for a CCW violation.

Every gun owner should read this and take heed.