Well, folks, there you have it.
I went to bed the other night, thinking I was in Ohio.
And when I woke up, I found out I was living in the Wild, Wild West.
That’s right. In just a few short weeks, anyone can legally carry a gun at all times in Ohio. No permit. No concealed carry training. No training at all.
Let’s just stop for a moment and look at a typical day in America.
Each and every freaking day, 316 people are shot in the United States.
Again. That’s 316 shootings on all the days.
The breakdown goes like this:
106 people are shot and killed
210 survive gunshot injuries
95 are intentionally shot by someone else and survive
39 are murdered
64 die from gun suicide
10 survive an attempted gun suicide
1 is killed unintentionally
90 are shot unintentionally and survive
Stick around. If you can. Get a bulletproof vest. Or don’t leave your house. Because those numbers are about to go up, thanks to the great State of Ohio.
Ohioans can carry a concealed weapon without a permit in about three months because of a bill signed into law by Republican Gov. Mike DeWine Monday.
It was called Senate Bill 215. Republicans pushed hard for this one. Oh, you know. Their Second Amendment and all. You would think they would care about some of the other things in the Constitution besides that one. Perhaps they need a refresher course in The Declaration of Independence. I’ll give them one now:
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
But no. They missed school that day. And as such, they pushed for Senate Bill 215, which will let Ohio residents 21 and older conceal firearms they are legally allowed to own without training or permits. That is WITHOUT training or permit.
If I want to own a dog, I have to get a license for that dog. It is the law. Same for fishing. I can’t drop a pole in the water until I get my license. Heck, you need a license to do all sorts of things in Ohio. If you want to buy a trailer to hitch behind your car? Say, for moving hay, or a lawnmower? You need a damn license.
But if I want to go down to Harry’s Pawn Shop on 3rd and Main, buy a Glock 19, and keep it tucked under my belt? I got the green light, baby. No holds barred. My Second Amendment Rights are stamped right on my forehead like a birthmark here in Ohio.
Oh, and the folks with the big gun money are happy as pigs in the mud right now. This, from Buckeye Firearms Association Director Dean Rieck, which he said in a statement after DeWine signed the bill:
“This is a day that will go down in history. This is a great moment for Ohio and for those who wish to more fully exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”
Yeah, you dumb bunny. It certainly will be a day to go down in history.
I’ll tell you. There are loads of people against this. And they have been saying so in loud voices. Strong objections have come from law enforcement groups, county sheriffs, and Democrats, all of them who are worried that taking away training requirements is going to make our communities less safe.
Darn right. People will be killing each other over parking spots at the Walmart. Or worse yet, gunfights in the bakery aisle, all over the last pack of Twinkies.
Yes, Richard Michael DeWine, born January 5, 1947, the politician and attorney who has been serving as the 70th governor of Ohio since 2019, as a member of the Republican Party — has totally screwed us.
Along with the rest of the legislators who voted to adopt this.
People who drive cars require training. To operate a motorcycle requires training. But we’ve just given an open ticket to any Tom, Dick, or Harry who wants to go about toting a gun. Even people who are highly trained sometimes falter with firearms. The shooting accuracy of trained deputies and police officers drops to about 40% in high-stress situations.
All I have to say is that Dewine and his henchmen better remember what they’ve done on this date.
Because the blood is on their hands. They will be responsible for many lives lost as a result of this dull-witted, imbecilic bill. And once a life has been lost, there is no giving it back.
==========
“Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I’m not sure about the universe.”
― Albert Einstein
==========
“In politics, stupidity is not a handicap.”
― Napoleon Bonaparte
============
“Never underestimate the power of stupid people in large groups.”
― George Carlin
===========
