🚀 go-pugleaf

HB-709: SNEAK ATTACK...

     What with the losses suffered by the anti-gunners over the
L.A. riots and "new" NRA leadership, they have suddenly gone from
"bad cop" to "good cop" mode.  This spells trouble for us. It
really does.  It is much easier to fight outright lies and blatant
frontal attacks than to deflect subtle, clever long-term plans.
H.B. 709, just out of subcommittee, introduced by Ohio State
Representative Jane Campbell (D-15) represents the first of the new
wave assault.
     PRO has been campaigning long and hard for firearm
responsibility by gun owners and for firearm safety education in
our schools.  We have been the first to complain when gun owners
irresponsibly allow their firearms to fall into the hands of
children.  We have been the first to call for prosecution for
reckless endangerment.  We have pressed hard for Eddie Eagle in our
schools only to be blocked by callous school officials who would
rather let kids die than admit that they allowed a (gasp!) NRA
program in their classrooms.  This is what makes it so difficult to
explain our opposition to H.B.709.
     In its current form the bill makes it a first degree
misdemeanor (the felony provisions have been changed) if "there is
substantial risk that a child may gain access to the loaded
firearm" [emphasis ours].  Exceptions are a gun carried on the
body, a gun in a locked box or with a trigger lock, a gun obtained
by unlawful entry of a child, cases where the child gets the
firearm in a lawful act of self-defense.  Also all officers,
agents, and employees of Ohio or any other state or of the federal
government are exempt from the law provided the incident occurs
during or "incidental to" official duties.  We have a serious
problem with this.  What with the number of incidents involving
service firearms, and the ideal that our government leaders should
be setting an example for the rest of us and thus be held to an
even higher standard, we think they have a lot of gall to just
include a blanket exception for themselves.
     Our real problem with a bill that does not even require that
a child actually gain access to your firearm, is that unlike the
current situation where if a child gets your gun the courts decide
if your actions were reckless or negligent, now you are
automatically guilty if your loaded gun is spotted in the open
without a triggerlock.  A child does not even need to be around.
The court will then decide if there was "substantial risk" a child
might have got the gun.  Nevertheless we do still support
punishment for the truly careless and negligent.
     Also H.B.709 requires retail gun sellers to both post a sign
and hand out copies with firearms stating that it is unlawful to
store a loaded firearm in a manner "that results" in a person under
16 years of age obtaining it.  Well this is a good idea although we
don't know if failing to do it should be a second degree
misdemeanor.  Dealers should be promoting firearm responsibility by
giving these notices right now...especially since this statement
reflects the law as it currently stands but NOT as proposed in
H.B.709. which seeks to change "that results" into "that may
result."
     While all of the above is worthy of discussion, it is not the
real anti-gun "sneak attack" that section 2 of the bill represents.
This requires the Department of Education to develop firearms
safety courses for public schools by January 1 of next year.  It
requires the Department of Taxation to develop a plan to increase
firearms taxes to cover the cost of this education.  Whoa!  Do you
smell a subtle rat?  Does anyone remember that many NRA programs
are free?  Are vehicles taxed to pay for driver safety education or
pedestrian safety for children?  Are power tools taxed to cover
safety instruction in high school shop classes?  Are matches,
lighters, service stations and the natural gas utilities taxed to
pay for fire safety education?  Furthermore, the whole quickly
generated and doubtless HCI-inspired "education" courses and
gun-slamming tax are just submitted to the General Assembly next
year (after the elections) for implementation.  No public
discussion, no alternative plans, just a simple up or down vote of
the scheme so "innocently" set up in this bill.  Notice how clever
this is!  Here is an opportunity for them to use your pro-gun money
to fund anti-gun "education" programs.
     Write your State Representative now!  Tell him or her that you
want Section 2 of this bill struck down.  Tell them that you wish
to see public discussion of the contents of public education
firearms safety programs as well as public debate as to the method
of funding.  Tell them you want YOUR say in these programs.  Ask
them why they want to take your money when many of our efforts to
get FREE NRA programs into schools has been met with nothing but
resistance.  And while you are at it, ask them to strip that
exemption for state and federal officers and employees.
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"The Ryukyu Islands (Okinawa) were conquered and united into one
kingdom. To insure his rule, the king confiscated and banned
possession of weapons by people other than his troops.  A second
ban on weapons was instituted by Japanese conquerors approximately
200 years later.  These two incidents are generally credited as the
cause for the intense development of the emptyhanded fighting
techniques..."

Special Forces (USA) manual ST 31-204
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    dennis@bluemoon.rn.com
---- The Soviet Union Died, But the Communists Live On ----