New Pro-Gun Ohio House Bill 203 Questioned.

The Statists are furious:

A proposed change to how police handle situations involving someone carrying a gun also is drawing significant attention from those who say it adds confusion to the law and would hinder efforts by law enforcement in preventing crime.

 

Under sections of state law dealing with the crimes of inducing panic and disorderly conduct, House Bill 203 adds: “The exercise of a constitutional or statutory right is not, in itself, a violation of this section and does not constitute reasonable, articulable suspicion of criminal activity.

Ken Hanson, an attorney and legislative chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, told lawmakers the provision means “simply carrying a gun is not a violation of Ohio law.” Supporters have argued that people who are legally carrying guns are sometimes stopped and frisked for no reason other than that someone else felt the need to alert police

Under current law, for example, if a person carrying a gun is seen pacing in front of a store or a park playground, an officer can stop and question that person, said Mike Weinman, a retired Columbus police officer and now a lobbyist for the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio.

 

Such a stop can help establish why the person is there and whether he or she is carrying the weapon legally, he said. “It could be as simple as a quick ID check and walking away.”

But under the bill, he said, an officer would be limited in taking such steps because he or she would need probable cause to stop the person — meaning the person would have to do something that appeared to warrant an arrest.

Source: http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2013/11/22/bill-limits-police-stops-some-fear.html

 

Ridiculous, isn’t it? The law doesn’t stop the cop from asking the man why is he pacing outside, it only prohibits police harassment or citizens exercising their RKBA.

 

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