Concealed-carry activist pleads not guilty in court

4/20/2005

A Luckey, Ohio, man who challenged Toledo police to arrest him earlier this month when he carried his concealed handgun into Toledo's Ottawa Park pleaded not guilty yesterday to a minor misdemeanor.

Bruce Beatty, 49, appeared for a brief arraignment yesterday before Toledo Municipal Court Magistrate David Smith. A pre-trial hearing is scheduled for June 3.

Mr. Beatty was cited for violating the city's park rules. A conviction on a minor misdemeanor carries a fine of up to $100.

Meanwhile, David Toska, chief of Toledo's prosecutor's office, said he will not file charges against city officials despite a police report that Mr. Beatty filed accusing city authorities of violating his civil rights by citing him in the park.

Mr. Beatty contends that the city's ban violates the state's one-year-old law that allows permit-holders to carry a concealed weapon. The state law specifically prohibits concealed weapons in schools, government buildings, and places of worship, but does not mention parks.