Buckeye Reporter

Three firearms-related bills in the Ohio legislature have garnered attention as they progress through the 136th Ohio General Assembly. The bills include two sponsored by Republicans and one by Democrats, all with support from the Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA), which does not currently oppose any advancing bill.

House Bill 5, introduced by Reps. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania Township) and Bernard Willis (R-Springfield), proposes restoring rights to nonviolent offenders who have redeemed themselves while also targeting repeat felons. The bill recently underwent its second hearing in the judiciary committee, with BFA's Rob Sexton advocating for its passage.

Senate Bill 59, sponsored by Sens. Al Cutrona (R-Canfield) and Tim Schaffer (R-Lancaster), seeks to exempt certain firearms and ammunition from sales and use tax, alongside introducing refundable tax credits for manufacturing projects related to small arms and ammunition. Its initial hearing took place in the ways and means committee on February 25. A parallel initiative, House Bill 120, aims to exempt safety devices from similar taxation.

The Democratic-sponsored Senate Bill 96, authored by Sens. Hearcal Craig (D-Columbus) and Willis Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton), aims to provide a nonrefundable income tax credit for handgun training, firearms storage, and locking devices. This bill also had its first hearing in the ways and means committee on February 25.

Dean Rieck, BFA's Executive Director, emphasizes these legislative measures address "commonsense solutions," stressing that the focus on rewarding law-abiding gun owners instead of punitive measures benefits all Ohioans. Rieck noted, "Every other right enumerated in the Constitution has full support on both sides of the aisle. It's only the Second Amendment that engenders pushback from certain quarters in government. Why? Because a portion of our elected officials, mostly on the left, have still not come to terms with the fact that personal gun ownership is a right rather than a privilege."

He further elaborated, "Every pro-gun bill we support has but one purpose: to eliminate infringements and allow law-abiding Ohioans to exercise their constitutionally-guaranteed rights to the fullest extent."

The BFA calls for members to support their grassroots campaigns to defend and progress individual rights.