The week of Independence Day should be about celebrating the founding of our nation and spending time with loved ones. But Wednesday, July 5, the House Federalism and Interstate Relations Committee has hearings and possible votes scheduled on two horrible gun bills.

HB 142, the “Surprise Gun Bill”, would eliminate the duty that concealed carry licensees have to inform law enforcement they have a hidden, loaded weapon when stopped.

And HB 233, the “Get Out of Jail Free” bill, would remove the penalty for concealed carry licensees that violate our weapons free zones — so long as they leave if they are caught!

The ominous combination of these bills would mean that not only would a carrier NOT have to tell law enforcement they have a hidden, loaded weapon when stopped, but if they were a prohibited location — including school safety zones, government buildings, places of worship, most of our institutes of higher education and day care centers, as well as businesses and workplaces that have made the decision to remain weapon free — they’d just need to leave if discovered to get away and and would have NO PENALTY.

If these bills pass out of committee next week, they could quickly move to the floor of Ohio House for a full vote. It’s imperative that you contact your Ohio House member and urge them to vote NO on both HB142 and HB233. Click here to take quick action now.

Sincerely,

Jennifer Thorne, Executive Director
Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence