Governor DeWine signed the gas tax holiday on October 1st, cutting Ohio’s gas and diesel tax to one one-hundredth of a cent per gallon through January 2nd, 2027. The Freedom to Carry Act still hasn’t gotten a single vote, and the House schedule shows just five session days after Election Day. Also this week: DOJ won’t appeal the Texas suppressor ruling, but Ohio isn’t covered; the Supreme Court has 57 firearms cases waiting; ATF’s holding more than 1.4 billion records; and Akron’s been served in the Lock 3 Park lawsuit.
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Your Saturday rundown
A hundredth of a cent, five days, and one big federal asterisk.
Top off your coffee and give me five minutes. I know you’ve heard plenty from us this week, so I’m going to keep the gas tax drama short and get you to the stuff you might’ve missed while everybody was yelling about what happened in Columbus.
DEWINE SIGNED THEIR GAS HOLIDAY. YOUR GUN RIGHTS ARE STILL GATHERING DUST.
Governor DeWine signed the gas tax holiday on Thursday, October 1st. Starting Sunday, the state tax on gasoline and diesel drops to one one-hundredth of a cent per gallon. Not zero, mind you. A hundredth of a penny. Apparently even a tax holiday in Ohio has to leave a little something on the meter.
It runs through Saturday, January 2nd, 2027, and the full tax comes roaring back on Sunday, January 3rd. Retailers are required to pass the cut along to you at the pump, and the state is backfilling $725.25 million out of the General Revenue Fund to pay for it. Look at those dates again. The relief covers Election Day with two months to spare, then it’s gone right after the holidays. Funny how that works.
You already got the whole story from us on how they ran that bill through both chambers in a single day, so I’ll give you the one line that matters: the Freedom to Carry Act still hasn’t gotten a single vote.
And here’s the number to keep in your back pocket. The House schedule shows five session days after Election Day, and one of those is marked “if needed.” That’s what’s left of this General Assembly before it ends December 31st. So when a politician tells you “we’ll get to it after November,” that’s the window he means. Five days. Maybe four.
▸▸ Monday, October 5: last day to register. County boards of elections are open until 9 p.m.
▸▸ Tuesday, October 6: early in-person voting and mail ballots start, and run through Sunday, November 1
▸▸ Tuesday, November 3: Election Day
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THIS WEEK
DOJ folded on suppressors. Solicitor General D. John Sauer told Congress in a letter that went public Thursday that the Justice Department won’t appeal the Texas ruling in the suppressor case. That ruling found that with the NFA tax at $0, the federal registration and transfer rules for suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and AOWs go beyond Congress’s taxing power.
SOLICITOR GENERAL D. JOHN SAUER, IN A LETTER TO CONGRESS
Now the fine print: The court’s order only protects the plaintiffs, their members and customers, and 15 plaintiff states. Ohio isn’t one of them. It’s still getting sorted out, too: the plaintiff states have asked the court to clarify how far the order reaches, and ATF hasn’t issued transfer guidance yet. And even if it were, Ohio law still treats suppressors and short-barreled rifles as “dangerous ordnance.” Washington can’t fix that. The Freedom to Carry Act would fix that, and the Republicans who run the Statehouse know it.
The Supreme Court’s gun pile is stacked on the desk. The justices held their long conference Monday with 57 firearms cases on the list, by one legal center’s count. We’re talking carry in “sensitive places,” 18-to-20-year-olds, short-barreled shotguns, reciprocity, you name it. They haven’t granted or denied a single gun case yet. The first full orders list is expected Monday, and the AR-15 ban cases they’ve already taken are set for argument December 2nd.
ATF’s “not a registry” just got a number. Rep. Michael Cloud of Texas says ATF confirmed to him in July that it’s holding more than 1.4 billion records from gun dealers that went out of business. On Wednesday he demanded an independent investigation and wants any records kept in violation of the 1986 Firearm Owners Protection Act destroyed. They swear it isn’t a registry. Sure looks like one from where I’m sitting.
Akron’s been served. The lawsuit challenging the gun ban at Akron’s Lock 3 Park under Ohio’s preemption law took a real step this week. The city was served, and the Summit County clerk logged it on Tuesday, September 29th. There’s no ruling yet and no answer from the city, but the case is live and the city’s been served. We’ll be watching for Akron’s response.
So that’s the week. A gas holiday with a January expiration date, a federal suppressor win that stops at the Ohio line, a Supreme Court about to show its hand, and a calendar with five days left on it for your rights.
If this was worth five minutes of your Saturday, would you chip in $5? It’s what pays for us to sit through every session, read every schedule and keep watching these people for you.
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For Freedom,
Rob Knisley
Ohio Gun Owners
P.S. Monday is the registration deadline and early voting opens Tuesday. Before you head out today, make sure you, your spouse and your shooting buddies are all registered. Then watch your inbox Monday, because that’s when the Supreme Court’s orders are expected.