The Ohioans For Concealed Carry steering committee would like to request
that you seriously consider making a donation to the Tony Gordon Memorial Fund
during the Holidays.

As many of you know, Ohioans For Concealed Carry has established a memorial fund at Fifth Third Bank to benefit the 3 year-old daughter, Cheyanne, and 13-year old nephew of slain father James A. "Tony" Gordon. The memorial fund will be used to help the family through this devastating time.

As anyone who has loved and lost can testify, the Holidays can be the most
difficult season of grieving. Our hope is that our collective support will help the Gordon family and lessen the financial burden during their time of grief.

As a means of leading by example, OFCC's Board of Directors has determined that it will donate 25% of the annual dues paid by every person who signs up as a new member, or who renews their expired membership, between now and
December 31.

To learn more about Tony's victimization, and heroic efforts to protect his
nephew, click here.

Checks can be made out to the "Tony Gordon Memorial Fund" and may be
deposited at any Fifth Third Bank location, mailed to: Fifth Third Bank, 5790 Springboro Pike, Dayton, OH 45449, or to Ohioans For Concealed Carry (OFCC), P.O. Box 25488 - Cleveland, Ohio 44125.

Once again, your Christmas gift to support this fund will be intensely appreciated by the Gordon family, and by all of us at OFCC.

Merry Christmas.

December 12,2003

TOLEDO -- A woman from East Toledo who owns a carryout gets beaten by a robber and it's all caught on tape.

A man came into Joe and Milo's Carryout around 5:30 Wednesday afternoon. He asked for some cigarettes and then said he forgot his money out in his car. He came back with a pipe in his hand and started beating Milo Espinosa. "I fell on the floor," said Milo who speaks very little English. "And he hit me."

The robber stole the register and got away. Police have released the video taped beating hoping to catch the man responsible. He's a white man in his 20's. He's 6'3" tall and weighs about 180 lbs. He was wearing a black leather jacket, black hat, and white gloves.

Milo has bruises and a nasty bump on her head but she's physically doing okay. Her husband Jose Espinosa told The News Channel he's sad and angry. "It was criminal what he did," said Jose. "No way any person could do something like that. I can't believe it," he added.

Jose said they've been robbed before and now they're looking to avoid this kind of attack in the future. "You must have self defense at least because she barely escaped from death," Jose said.

Ohio governor Bob Taft said he will veto the first bill to land on his desk allowing people to carry hidden guns. "I wanted a gun," said Milo. "I don't want it to happen more here with me," she told us.

Toledo police tell us Ohio law states because she and her husband own the business and it's susceptible to attacks there can be a gun on the property for the purposes of self defense.

People who like the concealed carry law want more people to be allowed to have guns. "Carryouts are some of the most dangerous professions," said Chad Baus from the group called Ohioans for Concealed Carry. "I would definitely want to protect myself if I worked there. "Violent crime has gone up 5% in last two years in the state of Ohio. Michigan has dropped its violent crime in the same two years. Michigan passed a carry law two years ago," said Baus.

Click here to read the story from WTOL Toledo 11, The News Channel (a CBS affiliate).

The Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA), an OFCC Civil-Defense Rights Coalition member, has issued the following press release concerning the expectations their members share of Gov. Taft on HB12.

BELLEVUE, Wash., Dec. 11 -- "Ohio Gov. Bob Taft has evidently run out of excuses and the time for stonewalling on public safety is past. It's time for Taft to sign concealed carry legislation for the Buckeye State."

So stated Joe Waldron, executive director of the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms (CCRKBA) following Tuesday night's passage of a concealed carry bill by the Ohio Legislature. The bill reportedly addresses law enforcement concerns, and certainly has the overwhelming support of lawmakers, who passed the measure in both houses with what may be a veto-proof majority.

"For months," Waldron said, "Gov. Taft has been hiding behind any excuse he could find, and the Ohio State Highway Patrol administration has been giving him some cover with an unreasonable demand that would essentially require unsafe gun handling in a vehicle. His fallback excuse has to do with making the names of licensed citizens public. So, what it boils down to is that, absent any other excuse, Gov. Taft is going to veto a responsible bill because it does not allow the harassment of law- abiding gun owners by anyone who may want to know their identity. That goes beyond absurdity."

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

The Associated Press story announcing Bob Taft's latest veto threat has been picked up by media outlets nationwide over the past 24 hours.

Since nearly 90% of the country already enjoy some form of concealed carry law, they'll probably be wondering what all the fuss us about.

So are we.

ABC News

Atlanta Journal Constitution

Boston Globe

New York Times (National Briefing segment - link will likely expire)

Newsday

Sierra (Nevada) Times

One wonders how the Bush/ Cheney campaign will react to seeing the Chair of the Bush - Cheney 2004 Ohio Leadership Team threatening lives via a veto over whether or not the media can get access to licenseholders' names all at once with no reason at all, or one by one if they have a good reason.

The Associated Press is reporting that Governor Taft is defending his threat to veto House Bill 12. However, they are not reporting that he has yet used his authority to veto the Act.

Since this issue was first raised a month ago, Ohioans For Concealed Carry warned the public that Governor Taft and the Ohio Newspaper Association were only interested in one thing: Printing the names of every licensee in the newspaper to intimidate applicants and endanger Ohioans by advertising the homes of known gun owners.

According to this AP story Governor Taft's compromise, rejected in late Wednesday night, would allow the news media and only the news media access to every single name in every county without reasoning:

"Taft offered his own compromise: allow only reporters access to the records. The Senate agreed; the House did not."

This proves, beyond a reasonable doubt, that Governor Taft's demand that this information remain public record never had anything to do with the public in general being able to look up their neighbors or co-workers, and had everything to do with pleasing a coalition of newspapers who want to print the names of license holders.

"Allowing the media access to these records but excluding the general public is a bad policy that tramples on the rights of ordinary citizens," Cleveland Plain Dealer Editor Douglas Clifton said yesterday. "These records should be open to everyone."

Apparently the "Taft shaft" omits itself from no person or advocacy group.

For years, Taft said law enforcement would have to accept the bill before he would sign it. Now he's saying he wants the records public so the media can verify law enforcement is following the permit process. Does Taft trust law enforcement or not? His latest actions indicate he trusts their judgement enough to demand their support and hide behind their concerns, but doesn't trust them to conduct the licensing process in a legal manner.

The Associated Press Story can be read, until it expires, by clicking here

An archive of the article, since it will inevitably expire, can be read by clicking "Read More..."