VICTORY!
I am so absolutely giggling with amusement. This could not be any better, at least thus far.
BACKSTORY:
Ohio was one of the few states in the US that did not, under any circumstances, issue CCW (Carry Concealed Weapons) permits to its citizens. At all. Period. They also had laws in place that made it a crime, de facto, to carry a holstered gun in plain view in public. Some enterprising citizen then went out, got himself arrested, and took the case to the State Supreme Court, noting that the state constitution says, plainly, "citizens shall have the right to keep and bear arms for their defense."
Oh my. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in his favor. Open carry was allowed. This caused a pretty major freak-out from the fluffy bunny crowd, and discussion of a CCW permit system was, for the first time in years, not DOA the moment the topic was broached. At least, if they were concealed, the chilllllldruuuuun would not have to see them. Or some such nonsense. Anyway...
Fast forward to two years ago, when Ohio passed its first CCW law. The law was passed over the objections of the blood-in-the-streets-shootout-at-the-OK-Corral crowd, and became law of the land after Gov. Taft signed it...after some concessions were made to appease the Highway Patrol. The latter only mattered because Taft pegged his support to their approval, and he figured (almost correctly) that the concessions the Patrol requested were poison pills. Specifically, the Patrol wanted guns to be carried in plain view in cars.
Now, stop and think about that for a moment. It's a concealed weapons law. Upon first approach by any LE officer, CCW licensees are required to announce that they are CCW holders and are packing heat anyway. So, the plain view requirement is 1. moot 2. fraught with peril (can't tell you how many "man with gun!" calls that generated) 3. a royal PITA for everyone. No one, even rank and file Troopers, wanted that provision. The political leadership dreamed it up as a way to kill the bill. Well, it backfired. The bill passed. Taft signed it. It became law.
Now, after it became law of the land, the Antis went to work chipping away at it. The governors of several cities began crafting their own local ordinances, making CCW illegal in places that the state law very plainly said that they could not, and created a hodgepodge of localities in which state law held sway, others in which local law held sway, and still more that were in legal limbo due to ongoing litigation.
Well, whatever they were planning backfired royally, because the situation became messy enough that the legislature took up the matter again, and rewrote the CCW law. First, they eliminated the plain view requirement (joy!), then they went on to completely pre-empt all local firearms laws (oh happy day!), because they were royally sick of the local yokels doing things they were not allowed, constitutionally, to do. It passed both houses of the legislature by pretty good margins.
Now, Taft, already a lame duck, got the bill. He vetoed it, offering no real reason besides "I want to." He didn't even have the Highway Patrol's support this time, as they were on board with the re-write. Now, the legislature just voted to override his veto, today. This is the first veto override Taft has experienced, and I can think of no finer way to send that smarmy, corrupt, idiotic buffoon into retirement than a big middle finger from the legislature on this issue.
Rock. On.
BACKSTORY:
Ohio was one of the few states in the US that did not, under any circumstances, issue CCW (Carry Concealed Weapons) permits to its citizens. At all. Period. They also had laws in place that made it a crime, de facto, to carry a holstered gun in plain view in public. Some enterprising citizen then went out, got himself arrested, and took the case to the State Supreme Court, noting that the state constitution says, plainly, "citizens shall have the right to keep and bear arms for their defense."
Oh my. The Ohio Supreme Court ruled in his favor. Open carry was allowed. This caused a pretty major freak-out from the fluffy bunny crowd, and discussion of a CCW permit system was, for the first time in years, not DOA the moment the topic was broached. At least, if they were concealed, the chilllllldruuuuun would not have to see them. Or some such nonsense. Anyway...
Fast forward to two years ago, when Ohio passed its first CCW law. The law was passed over the objections of the blood-in-the-streets-shootout-at-the-OK-Corral crowd, and became law of the land after Gov. Taft signed it...after some concessions were made to appease the Highway Patrol. The latter only mattered because Taft pegged his support to their approval, and he figured (almost correctly) that the concessions the Patrol requested were poison pills. Specifically, the Patrol wanted guns to be carried in plain view in cars.
Now, stop and think about that for a moment. It's a concealed weapons law. Upon first approach by any LE officer, CCW licensees are required to announce that they are CCW holders and are packing heat anyway. So, the plain view requirement is 1. moot 2. fraught with peril (can't tell you how many "man with gun!" calls that generated) 3. a royal PITA for everyone. No one, even rank and file Troopers, wanted that provision. The political leadership dreamed it up as a way to kill the bill. Well, it backfired. The bill passed. Taft signed it. It became law.
Now, after it became law of the land, the Antis went to work chipping away at it. The governors of several cities began crafting their own local ordinances, making CCW illegal in places that the state law very plainly said that they could not, and created a hodgepodge of localities in which state law held sway, others in which local law held sway, and still more that were in legal limbo due to ongoing litigation.
Well, whatever they were planning backfired royally, because the situation became messy enough that the legislature took up the matter again, and rewrote the CCW law. First, they eliminated the plain view requirement (joy!), then they went on to completely pre-empt all local firearms laws (oh happy day!), because they were royally sick of the local yokels doing things they were not allowed, constitutionally, to do. It passed both houses of the legislature by pretty good margins.
Now, Taft, already a lame duck, got the bill. He vetoed it, offering no real reason besides "I want to." He didn't even have the Highway Patrol's support this time, as they were on board with the re-write. Now, the legislature just voted to override his veto, today. This is the first veto override Taft has experienced, and I can think of no finer way to send that smarmy, corrupt, idiotic buffoon into retirement than a big middle finger from the legislature on this issue.
Rock. On.