(COLUMBUS, Ohio) â€" Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray hailed this morning’s ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court, which affirmed the constitutionality of Ohio’s firearms statutes.
(Media-Newswire.com) - ( COLUMBUS, Ohio ) – Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray hailed this morning’s ruling from the Ohio Supreme Court, which affirmed the constitutionality of Ohio’s firearms statutes.
“This is an important victory for every gun owner in Ohio,” Cordray said. “Before 2006, Ohioans faced a confusing patchwork of local ordinances with different restrictions on gun ownership and possession. The General Assembly stepped in, enacting a comprehensive set of rights and responsibilities for every citizen seeking to exercise his or her Second Amendment liberties. We vigorously defended that law, and today the Court upheld it.”
In 2006, the General Assembly extensively amended Ohio’s gun laws. Those laws define who can purchase firearms, what types of firearms can be sold, where they can be possessed, where they can be discharged, and who can obtain a license to carry concealed firearms in public. The General Assembly also prohibited cities and municipalities from enacting restrictions on gun ownership and possession above those specified in state and federal law.
The city of Cleveland sued the state, claiming that the law violated its “home rule” authority. A lower court agreed, finding that the General Assembly could not prevent the city from enacting additional restrictions on gun ownership and possession. Attorney General Cordray appealed that decision to the Ohio Supreme Court.
By a vote of 5-2, the Court sided with Cordray.
“( Ohio’s gun law ) addresses the General Assembly’s concern that absent a uniform law throughout the state, law abiding gun owners would face a confusing patchwork of licensing requirements, possession restrictions, and criminal penalties as they travel from one jurisdiction to another,” said Justice Evelyn Lundberg Stratton, writing for the Court. “We hold that ( the gun law ) is a general law that displaces municipal firearm ordinances and does not unconstitutionally infringe on municipal home rule authority.”
In defending the state law, Cordray received support from the National Rifle Association, Ohioans for Concealed Carry, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
This story was released on 2011-01-02. Please make sure to visit the official company or organization web site to learn more about the original release date. See our disclaimer for additional information.