Columbus, OH Bump Stock Ban Ruled Unconstitutional :: 07/16/2018

Columbus, Ohio wanted to get a jump on the rest of the country. While bump stocks are being banned here and there, they’re still legal in most places and at the national level. While the company that made them, Slide Fire, has ceased operations, that doesn’t mean anything to anti-gunners who quiver in their boots at the idea of citizens being able to shoot rapidly. As a result, the city decided to ban bump stocks.

Now, a judge has smacked down their ban, saying it’s unconstitutional.

A judge ruled this week that Columbus’ citywide ban on bump stocks is unconstitutional.

If that ruling holds, Cincinnati’s ban could be next to fall — though its main sponsor says he thinks that’s unlikely and a ways off.

Franklin County Court of Common Pleas Judge David Cain handed down the Columbus ruling Thursday, according to WBNS. Ohioans for Concealed Carry and the Buckeye Firearms Foundation sued after the Columbus City Council passed its ban in May.

“This victory is not a surprise, but it should be a warning to other cities in Ohio,” Dean Rieck, executive director of Buckeye Firearms Association, said in a written statement.

“It’s unfortunate that we must sue cities to force them to obey state law. But we simply cannot stand by and allow activist city councils to break the law and violate the rights of Ohio’s 4 million gun owners.”

It’s a fair point. It should also be mentioned that residents of Columbus have now had to foot the bill to defend a law that was deemed unconstitutional. Whoops.

Anti-gun lawmakers in Cincinnati still think they can defend the bans, but one used the most asinine argument humanly possible.

“Also, seriously, why in the world does anyone need a bump stock?” [Councilman P.G.] Sittenfeld said in a statement. “These NRA lobbyists cannot answer that very simple question.”

Here’s the thing, Councilman. When it comes to our rights, we don’t have to tell anyone why we need it. It’s not on us to defend our “need” to purchase and own guns, their components, or their accessories. It’s the same as to why I don’t need to explain why I need internet access, a laptop, or a bullhorn to spread my thoughts on various topics.

When it comes to our rights, it’s up to the government to prove it has a compelling interest in curtailing our rights. It’s not up to us to provide a compelling interest to exercise them.

Bump stocks were available widely for years and years prior to the carnage in Las Vegas last year. Besides that one horrific incident, do you know how many times they were used in crimes? As far as I’ve been able to find, precisely none.

Also, despite their current legality, guess what we haven’t seen since Las Vegas? That’s right. A bump stock used in a crime. It’s almost like they’re a bit of a non-issue.

So with that in mind, why do gun owners in Ohio have to declare why they need a bump stock to a two-bit city councilman? The answer is, they don’t. Thankfully, a judge recognized that citizens have rights and smacked down this law.

Tom Knighton is a Navy veteran, a former newspaperman, a novelist, and a blogger and lifetime shooter. He lives with his family in Southwest Georgia.

https://bearingarms.com/author/tomknighton/

https://bearingarms.com/tom-k/2018/07/16/columbus-oh-bump-stock-ban-ruled-unconstitutional/