The first hearing on Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Preemption bill, HB 243, was held Thursday, June 17. The Government Oversight Committee sponsor’s hearing is the first of three hearings to be held on this bill. Sponsor Representative Al Cutrona introduced the bill and answered questions from committee members. Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, had been in Ohio the week prior lobbying for this bill and its companion Senate bill, SB 156.
This bill follows enactment on April 12th of Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill, SB 140. Without knife law preemption making those reforms applicable statewide, numerous cities and towns in Ohio are still able to ban many knives that are perfectly legal under Ohio’s statutes.
Knife Law Preemption is a Knife Rights criminal justice reform effort that repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere within a state.
Knife Rights passed the nation’s first Knife Law Preemption bill in Arizona in 2010 and has since passed preemption bills in Alaska, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.
Knife Rights will let you know when it is time to contact your legislators to support HB 243.
Knife Rights is America’s grassroots knife owners’ organization; leading the fight to Rewrite Knife Law in America™ and forging a Sharper Future for all Americans™. Knife Rights efforts have resulted in 33 bills enacted repealing knife bans in 23 states and over 150 cities and towns since 2010.