Ohio Concealed-weapon backers try again

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Concealed-weapon backers try again 10/08/01Julie Carr SmythPlain Dealer BureauColumbus - Amended concealed weapons legislation due out this week would ease a fingerprinting requirement, step up a training component and give working and retired law enforcement officers more latitude with their weapons. Legislators who favor allowing Ohioans to carry concealed handguns have grappled for months on a compromise that would please both Second Amendment purists and police agencies. Gun control advocates have testified consistently against the concept. State Rep. Ann Womer Benjamin, the Aurora Republican who chairs a subcommittee assigned to the issue, said a substitute bill being finalized for a hearing on Wednesday addresses the key concerns. The new legislation will recommend that residents who have lived in the state for less than four years undergo electronic fingerprinting "of not more than four fingers" as a way to establish identity, Womer Benjamin said. National Instant Check System will conduct criminal background checks, which do not require fingerprinting, she said. Residents who have lived in the state for more than four years will be able to forgo fingerprinting with written certification from a local sheriff or police chief. "I can't say how it will be received, but we have tried to make it as minimally intrusive as possible," she said. Participating in a shooting competition is eliminated as a way to satisfy the bill's training requirement, and hunting licenses would only count when held for three consecutive years. The new language also makes concessions to law enforcement, whose backing Gov. Bob Taft said is critical for his support. But key police organizations will remain opposed, said Sen. Eric Fingerhut. "There is nothing in this bill that would change the governor's mind," he said. "What you have is a compromise among people who all agree that the ban on concealed weapons should be repealed." It allows working peace officers to carry their guns when off duty. It also extends that privilege to retired peace and corrections officers and federal agents who were in good employment standing when they retired. Cleveland police do not support the bill. It also would disallow carrying concealed weapons on college campuses and at private establishments where an owner chooses to ban them. People would be able to leave a loaded gun in their locked car, she said. Contact Julie Carr Smyth at: jsmyth@plaind.com, 800-228-8272 http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/xml/story.ssf/html_standard.xsl?/base/news/10025334369966103.xml