A Private Citizen’s Effort
This outcome was achieved by one private citizen, not a law firm or an organization. Thomas Jakupca II, the proprietor of CivX Defense, lives in neighboring Cuyahoga Falls and visits Stow’s parks with his family. He acted entirely on his own as a concerned neighbor and park visitor — with no lawsuit and no attorney — using written correspondence, a meeting with city legal staff, and public comment. Any Ohio resident can take the same steps.
Step 1: Raising the Concern in Writing (2023)
In May 2023, Mr. Jakupca wrote to the Stow Law Department about uniform park signage stating that firearms and weapons were prohibited. On June 6, 2023, then-Law Director Jaime Syx replied that the signage language had been covered and that the Parks Department was drafting replacement signs.
Step 2: Following Up When the Problem Returned (September 24, 2026)
When the temporary covering was no longer maintained and the restriction was again on display, Mr. Jakupca spoke with Law Department staff and followed up the same day by email to Law Director Drew Reilly, copying the Parks and Recreation Department. He noted that covering or replacing a sign does not cure the underlying ordinance — Codified Ordinances of Stow (C.O.S.) § 955.02(8), which provided that “No person shall take or discharge any gun, revolver, air or gas rifle or pistol, or slingshot, into any park area, shelter or facility” — and cited R.C. 9.68 and the enumerated locations in R.C. 2923.126. He stated plainly that his goal was to avoid litigation through meaningful collaboration.
Step 3: Working Through Solutions with the Law Department
Mr. Jakupca met with Deputy Law Director Steven Hooten and prepared two discussion drafts for the Law Department’s evaluation: a targeted revision of § 955.02(8), and an alternative repeal of the conflicting paragraph. The Law Department reviewed how neighboring communities handle park rules and prepared the City’s own proposed amendment, which was placed before Council on October 8, 2026.
Step 4: Public Comment in Support
At the October 8, 2026 Committee of the Whole meeting, Mr. Jakupca spoke as a private citizen in support of the amendment, publicly commending Deputy Law Director Hooten and Law Director Reilly for treating the concern seriously and collaborating on a responsible legislative solution. He noted that the amendment removes the blanket prohibition on merely possessing a firearm in parks while preserving the City’s authority to prohibit unlawful discharge and reckless use of projectile devices.
Legislative Action & Unanimous Adoption
On October 8, 2026, the Committee of the Whole discussed alignment with R.C. 9.68, heard public comment in support, and unanimously forwarded Ordinance 2026-160 to Council. At the regular Council meeting that evening, the ordinance received its first reading, Council unanimously suspended the rules, and Ordinance 2026-160 was adopted unanimously — seven yeas, no nays. The amendment qualifies the park rule with the phrase “except as permitted in accordance with applicable state law.”
You Can Do This Too
No special standing, credentials, or legal representation were needed. If you see park signage or a local ordinance that conflicts with R.C. 9.68, the same approach is available to you: document the sign with photos, write to your city’s Law Director, identify the codified ordinance behind the sign, offer a cooperative path to a fix, and speak during public comment. The Resource Vault preemption email template is built on this exact process.
Enactment Timeline: Section 3 of Ordinance 2026-160 provides that it takes effect thirty days after adoption by Council and approval by the Mayor, or at the earliest period allowed by law. Suspension of the rules is not emergency enactment. Official records: Committee of the Whole minutes, City Council minutes, and Stow City Council.