There has been a lot of talk about House Bill 45 lately, which would allow concealed carry permit holders in Ohio to legally carry their firearms inside restaurants, bars or open-air arenas that serve alcohol, as long as they did not consume alcohol. I felt obligated to clear up some of the misleading arguments of the opponents of this bill.
Some opponents of HB 45 claim that if this bill is passed, concealed carry permit holders will drink alcohol and shootouts will become commonplace. It is unfair to discriminate against a group of people and predict how they will react, especially without anything to back up their argument.
There are two main points this article will discuss. The first will take a look at the typical concealed carry permit holder.
Currently in Ohio there are nearly 200,000 concealed carry permit holders. These people are living their lives just as anybody else does. It’s likely that you’ve stood behind them at a checkout line at a store or sat beside them at a movie theater.
But what do we really know about them? Well, for starters, anyone with a concealed carry permit license has a clean police record. This means no violent misdemeanors, no felonies, no drug offenses and they have passed a background check.
According to Buckeye Firearms Associations’ reference guide, Gun Facts, a study done in Texas showed that people with concealed carry permits are 5.7 times less likely to be arrested for violent offenses than the general public and 13.5 times less likely to be arrested for non-violent offenses. Statistically, concealed carry permit holders are more likely to obey laws than the general public.
If any criminal wishes to carry in a Class D liquor establishment then they will. Criminals have no intention to obey laws, that’s what makes them criminals. Murder and robbery are both against the law and yet both still happen because criminals do not obey the laws. If a concealed carry permit holder consumed alcohol while carrying a firearm, they would lose their license to carry and would face felony charges.
Anyone with a felony charge cannot buy or possess a firearm. A licensed conceal carry permit holder, who spent the time and money to obtain their license, would think twice before jeopardizing their license or their right to own a firearm. It is a rare occurrence for a concealed carry permit holder to lose their license.
According to the Ohio Attorney General, from the years 2006-2010, only 0.62 percent of all concealed carry permit holders had their licenses revoked. These statistics include people who died, moved out of state, decided not to renew their license, or committed a crime.
My second point will examine the laws of other states. Believe it or not, Ohio is not the first state to try to pass a bill to allow a concealed carry permit holder to carry inside a restaurant that serves alcohol.
In fact, 42 other states have laws that allow concealed carry permit holders to carry inside restaurants that serve alcohol, including every state that borders Ohio. None of these states have problems with concealed carry permit holders drinking and getting into shootouts and none of these states are planning on repealing the their law.
The greatest flaw of the arguments against HB 45 is that its opponents have little or no statistics to back up their claims. All they have is their slogan “guns and alcohol don’t mix.” I agree with this statement 100 percent. It is taught in every concealed carry class that any concealed carry permit holder must pass for their license. The purpose of HB 45 is not to mix alcohol and guns, it merely allows a concealed carry permit holder to legally carry their firearm into restaurants like an Applebee’s or Chili’s.
Under current Ohio laws, a concealed carry permit holder can legally purchase alcohol at any gas station or liquor store, while they are carrying a firearm. They are also allowed to carry in an establishment that only serves beer. The concealed carry permit holder understands that they are not to drink until they are no longer carrying their firearm. How is this different from them going into any Class D liquor establishment?
I am a firm believer in the Second Amendment. I believe that any law-abiding citizen should be allowed to carry a firearm for protection in every store, every restaurant, and every bar. HB 45 is a step in the right direction.
Thomas Stierhoff is a member of the Ohio University Second Amendment Club.
