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Politics is big in these parts, and we’ve got it covered. John Arthur Hutchison and other staff writers will offer their inside information on the events, big news and little moments of the local political scene in Lake, Geauga and eastern Cuyahoga counties.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Cordray, state's gun owners win

In what likely is his last major legal victory, out-going Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray won a 5-2 State Supreme Court victory today.

And Cordray carried the state's pro-firearms advocates with him.

At issue was a case presented by Cleveland, the city saying Ohio law permits such entities to control firearms. In this particular case, certain semi-automatic firearms commonly and incorrectly called "assault weapons."

Cleveland challenged a law passed in 2006 by the state legislature - which also had overridden a veto by then-governor Bob Taft - that said cities cannot usurp Ohio law. The city's claim was that the new law infringed on Ohio's home rule provision which grants municipalities certain law-making privileges.

Not so, said five state supremes while two others agreed with Cleveland's arguements.

"This is an important victory for every gun owner in Ohio," Cordray said. "Before 2006, Ohioans faced a confusing patchwork of local ordinances with different restrictions on gun ownership and possession. The General Assembly stepped in, enacting a comprehensive set of rights and responsibilities for every citizen seeking to exercise his or her Second Amendment liberties. We vigorously defended that law, and today the Court upheld it."

In defending the state law, Cordray received support from the National Rifle Association, Ohioans for Concealed Carry, and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.

And though Cordray received the election blessing of the NRA as well well as the Buckeye Firearms Association he still lost to his Republican challenger, former U.S. Senator and Lt. Gov. Mike DeWine. DeWine received an "F" rating from the NRA and even had an anti-firearms group cut a television commercial supporting his candidacy.

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