Received from correspondent AP:
Hello, David! I appreciate your article about the Summit County Fair. I was there last night and made some observations as well. I had seen the posts from the Summit Co Sheriffs department previously about the restrictions and enhanced security. So when my daughter told me that she and some friends wanted to go, I did a little research. I called the Ohio Attorney General’s office and spoke with an individual that confirmed that the county fair board is not allowed to create their own bans for fair grounds property under the state’s preemption laws. I also received an email from the Ohio Attorney General’s office with City of Cleveland v Ohio 2010 and the opinion from the AG regarding Champaign County Fair. In other words, the Ohio AG’s office is telling me that they can not provide legal advice to me but the Summit County Fair is going against the Ohio AG’s opinion and the opinion of the Ohio Supreme Court.
Now to my visit to the fair. Last night as I arrived, like you, I disarmed myself of my EDC firearm and my pocket knife. I left my POM pepper spray on my pocket as it is mostly plastic I wasn’t too worried about it. When going through the metal detector, I set it off because I did not take my wallet or pepper spray out to put in the bin. The nice lady at the metal detector asked if I had anything else and I put my wallet in the bin. I went back through and set it off again. I asked if it was maybe my belt and she looked and asked to see my waistband around my back and said to go ahead as it is probably just my belt. It was probably my pepper spray but she said I was fine to go. So I then passed through the nice building containing some exhibitors and onto the fairgrounds I went. While walking around I did notice some issues with their “security”. There were other entrances. Entrances where exhibitors, camping attendees and those who are probably members of the 4H, old school wrestle-mania actors and such can drive their cars, trucks and campers right in to the fair past a person checking parking passes. Those persons did not go through metal detectors, didn’t have their bags or cars searched like I did. They were just granted access to the fairgrounds. There was another gate for the general public on the other side of the fairgrounds that did not pass through any buildings to enter. There were no metal detectors there, just some sheriff personnel. So, from what I can see, not everyone at the fair had to be checked, disarmed or searched.. just those paying the $15 to enter through the front gate. This is a clear violation of my 2nd amendment rights and my right to self defense. It is one thing to pass through the one and only entrance where everyone is checked, but this only checked a select group of people at the fair. It only made people “feel” safe.
You know where I said I saw three ways forward and I’d carried this as far as I can on my own?
Stay tuned. This gives me an idea.
