Court Rules Gun Owner Can Sue Officer

posted on May 16, 2015

An appeals court has ruled that an Ohio man detained for openly carrying a firearm can sue the police officer who detained, disarmed and handcuffed him.

According to court records, Officer Dave Bright responded to a call from a motorcyclist saying Shawn Northrup was carrying a firearm in his neighborhood. When Bright arrived and Northrup tried to record the episode, Bright took his gun and put him in the squad car under suspicion that he was “inducing a panic.” Northrup later sued for violation of his Fourth Amendment rights.

“Ohio law permits the open carry of firearms … and thus permitted Northrup to do exactly what he was doing,” Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton, of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, wrote. “While the dispatcher and motorcyclist may not have known the details of Ohio’s open-carry firearm law, the police officer had no basis for such uncertainty.”

Latest

Frank Miniter
Frank Miniter

From the Editor | In the Footsteps of Freedom

If we are to keep America on the path to freedom in accordance with our Founders’ ideals, we need to bring the next generation along with us.

Gun-Control Activist David Hogg is Out of the DNC

Though Hogg apparently exited the race of his own volition, that this vote was brought to fruition shows there is an internal division.

Standing Guard | The Basis Of The NRA Is Freedom

Tens of thousands of us came together for the 154th NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. We had elections and so many great events. Here is why this matters so much now.

President’s Column | It’s A New Day At The NRA

We are at a pivotal point in this organization’s history.

Virginia Closes In On Critical Off-Cycle Election: Three Races To Watch

The price of freedom is eternal vigilance and that is why off-year elections also require our full attention and focus.

8 Battles in the Struggle to Protect the Rights of Young Adults

The civil-rights battle to ensure that government entities at every level recognize the Second Amendment-protected rights of American adults is currently being fought at several levels, with a mixed bag of results.



Get the best of America's 1st Freedom delivered to your inbox.