Nullify Federal Gun Control in Ohio With HB 51

URGENT: The House Rules and Reference Committee voted 8-4 in favor of HB 51, coming shortly after the Government Oversight Committee also voted to approve the bill. HB 51 now goes to the House floor for a vote. Ohio Speaker of the House Jason Stephens has announced he will bring HB 51, to nullify federal gun control, to a vote. Passage of this bill would be a major step toward enforcing the Constitution and nullifying federal gun control. Contact your state legislators, and urge them to support HB 51.

Members of the Ohio General Assembly are seeking to pass House Bill No. 51 (HB 51) that would nullify unconstitutional federal gun control and protect the God-given self-defense rights of Ohioans. It is imperative that legislators pass HB 51 and reject every attempt to weaken it.

Officially titled the “Second Amendment Preservation Act,” HB 51 was sponsored by Representatives Mike Loychik (R-Bazetta) and Jean Schmidt (R-Loveland).

HB 51 gives a list of policies, which might be contained in “federal acts, laws, executive orders, administrative orders, rules, and regulations,” that violate the U.S. Constitution’s Second Amendment and Article 1, Section 4, of the Ohio Constitution. These include any tax that might discourage firearm purchases or ownership; gun confiscation laws; laws that prohibit law-abiding individuals to own, use, or transfer firearms; and laws mandating the tracking and registration of firearms, gun owners, gun accessories, or ammunition.

Importantly, HB 51 nullifies past, present, and future unconstitutional firearm restrictions. Additionally, while the bill does not name any specific federal laws, provisions of the 1934 National Firearms Act and the 1968 Gun Control Act would be included among the laws nullified.

The rest of the bill primarily ensures that government officials at the state and local levels do not enforce the listed unconstitutional federal gun control policies and provides citizens with a means of redress if their self-defense rights are violated.

Importance

HB 51 is a good application of Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, which states “[t]his Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof … shall be the supreme Law of the Land.”

Since the various forms of infringement outlined in this bill violate the U.S. Constitution, they cannot be considered “made in Pursuance thereof” and, thus, are not “the supreme Law of the Land.” Unfortunately, in the last several decades, thousands of unconstitutional laws on the federal, state, and even local levels have been created and enforced.

Because of this, it is important that officials at all levels of government begin to push back against this lawless regime and robustly enforce the Constitution and only those laws “made in Pursuance thereof.” HB 51 is an excellent model for other states to follow.

Urge your state representative and senator to preserve the Second Amendment and nullify federal gun control in Ohio with HB 51. Also encourage your legislators to further push back against all other unconstitutional laws at every level of government.