A Victory For Gun Rights In Ohio

The Ohio Legislature secured a significant gain for Second Amendment rights in that state when it overrode Governor Bob Taft’s veto of a bill that will override most local restrictions on gun ownership:

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Lawmakers voted Tuesday to override outgoing Gov. Bob Taft’s veto of a bill that will wipe out local gun laws, the first time in 20 years that the Legislature has rejected a gubernatorial veto.

The move was all the more unusual because both chambers are dominated by Republicans _ the governor’s own party.

The Senate voted 21-12 on Tuesday to override, and the House voted last week. The bill will take effect in about three months.

Taft, who leaves office in a few weeks, has said the gun bill, which is meant to clean up Ohio’s concealed weapons law, pre-empts about 80 local gun laws, including assault-weapons bans in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Dayton and Toledo.

The Mayor of Cleveland is already threatening a lawsuit to try to keep the city’s gun restrictions in effect notwithstanding the state law, but it’s clear that this is a major Second Amendment victory.