OH-15: Steve Stivers on Guns
I just got off the telephone with Sen. Stivers a few minutes ago regarding his announcement to run for Congress. During our conversation I asked point blank his position on two important citizen safety bills in the Ohio Statehouse. I knew the answers ahead of time, but wanted to make sure it was on the record. He is a co-sponsor on Sen. Buehrer’s “No Duty To Retreat/Castle Doctrine” bill, and he strongly supports the bill to prohibit the confiscation of firearms from law abiding citizens during a state of emergency.’[…]
Stivers has been generally pro-gun. He voted for HB12, the bill that restored lawful concealed carry after a more than 100 year prohibition. Unfortunately, he voted against the statewide general law putting all firearms regulations in the hands of state lawmakers. Though he supported the main purpose of that legislation (cities using their Home Rule powers to score political points with unnecessary gun bans), his concern was over a narrow, gray area on whether municipalities would still have the rights under zoning laws to dictate that a gun store cannot be near a school, or near a church. Because it was not defined, he reluctantly voted against the bill. He does support several other citizen safety bills now currently before the Ohio General Assembly.
As a resident of the 15th District, this is great news to me. On the issue of our 2nd Amendment freedoms, the difference between Deb Pryce and Steve Stivers is almost night and day. Gun owners certainly weren’t motivated to vote for anti-gun Pryce in 2006 elections, which is part of why she lost Franklin County. And as the Franklin County GOP knows too well, it’s difficult to win elections when the solid Republicans they count on during every election have to hold their nose in the poll booth.
This is going to be an interesting 11 months.
ww2historybuff said,
Wrote on November 6, 2007 @ 10:02 am
I have to wonder why any pro-gun person would consider it acceptable to ban gun stores from near schools or churches, and why this makes Stiver’s “concern” somehow valid.
I’m sure that’s what he told Greer as far as why he voted against the legislation, but it’s bogus. This is not a gray area. The bill specified that gun stores had to be treated as any other store - otherwise zoning could be used to create a de facto ban on gun stores.
The statewide preemption of local gun control laws was an important vote on gun rights, and Stivers doesn’t deserve a pass.
zenbutcher said,
Wrote on November 6, 2007 @ 10:18 am
Republican politicians and officials who cry the loudest about Home Rule being usurped by the state are the biggest hypocrites out there. They only want it so they can restrict the rights and liberties of their individual citizes, via red light cameras, gun bans, etc. Also statewide preemption is a hassle when you want to restrict individual rights and civil liberties and a complete nuisance when you want to enact taxes which conflict with state law. Yeah statewide preemption of Home Rule is a real downer for Republican hypocrites and Stivers is one. Good thing for him he is running against a com-symp socialist so he looks like a solid conservative.