Columbus has the highest rate of reported rapes among the largest U.S. cities, federal crime statistics show.

Data for the first half of 2002 -- the most recent available for cities nationwide -- as well as for all of 2001, show a rate here twice that of Los Angeles and four times as high as New York City.

And Columbus is no standout among Ohio cities. Rates of reporting are higher in Cleveland, Cincinnati and Dayton!

Christine Long, who was raped 15 years ago in her Grandview Heights apartment and now lives on the Northwest Side, blames the state's sentencing laws.

The man who raped her in August 1988 had been released from prison eight months earlier after he had served seven years of a 15- to 75-year sentence for raping two other women.

Eventually Long bought a gun. "It was the first time I felt I could go to sleep.''

In the mid-1990s, Long championed a successful move to ban weightlifting equipment in prisons and jails. She supports a measure currently in the Ohio legislature that would allow some Ohioans to carry concealed weapons.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for information on how concealed carry reform can reduce this victimization of women in Ohio.

A new survey has been added to the OFCC PAC website, inquiring as to whether or not your purchasing power will be directed away from businesses which elect to ban CCW in their stores.

Yesterday marked the deadline for applications to replace conservative Republican Justice Deborah Cook, still awaiting U.S. Senate confirmation to the Cincinnati-based 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.

Fifteen judges and lawyers have submitted resumes to Gov. Bob Taft for an Ohio Supreme Court vacancy that doesn’t exist yet.

Taft spokesman Orest Holubec said the administration has actively sought minority applicants. A third of the applications are from African-Americans.

"I’m glad African-Americans are in the pool of candidates," said state Sen. Ray Miller (D., Columbus). "But I’ve asked the governor not just to consider African-Americans to make sure he has a diverse pool, but to make a commitment to appointing an African-American to the Supreme Court."

OFCC PAC Commentary:
Funny, we always thought qualifications should be the ONLY consideration when selecting judicial nominees, not qualifications and race, or qualifications and religion, or qualifications and...

OFCC PAC will be keeping a close eye on this developing issue, as Gov.Taft's appointment could shift the court away from the constitutionalist majority which was voted in by Ohioans in last fall's elections.

Click here to read the entire story in the Toledo Blade.

Last week, we told you that Crain's Cleveland Business had published an editorial opposing the reformation of concealed carry laws in Ohio, which essentially mirrored a letter printed in multiple Ohio papers over the past three weeks, written by the president of the "Million" Mom March chapter of greater Cleveland.

In their March 31, 2003 edition, Crain's published the official OFCC response, as submitted by OFCC's northwest Ohio coordinator (and PAC Vice Chairman) Chad Baus. Because the Crain's website is subscription-based, the response can be viewed in it's entirety by clicking on the "Read More..." link below.

COLUMBUS -- Gun control advocates on Wednesday criticized the credibility of a leading firearms researcher and said lawmakers have relied too much on his flawed work in their push for concealed weapons licenses in Ohio.

But the expert, author John Lott, maintains his research is valid, and supporters insist the concealed weapons concept has more justification than just those figures.

Jeff Garvas, president of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, called the coalition's press conference a smear campaign designed to tear down "the person they see as the biggest threat to them."

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

In light of the poorly researched editorial published by Crain's Cleveland Business, opposing concealed carry reform, we thought it might be wise to revisit an article published by Crain's' mid-state counterpart, Columbus Business First, last July.

Unlike the editorial writers at Crain's, the Business First writer obviously researched this issue in depth before writing the article, and weighed the cost vs. benefit to business argument well.

Click here to read the entire article from Columbus Business First.

A pro-CCW letter to the editor has been printed in the Findlay Courier.

While we cannot concur with the writer's praise for Rep. Brinkman (he placed a principled, but counter-productive vote against HB12), and while we know Rep. Seitz is a friend of concealed carry reform efforts, the letter does a good job of referencing other states to point out that HB12 will only be hurt by the addition of restrictive amendments.

Since the Courier doesn't print their letters online, an archived copy is available by clicking on the "Read More..." link below.

On March 24, Crain's Cleveland Business published an editorial opposing the reformation of concealed carry laws in Ohio. This editorial bore striking similarity to a letter printed in multiple Ohio papers over the past three weeks, written by Lori O'Neill, president of the "Million" Mom March chapter of greater Cleveland.

In the editorial, Crain's editors admitted that they were a bit "far afield" when they decided to take a position on HB12. We hope that, in the future, Crain's would better research the facts before offering businesses advice on matters outside their realm of expertise. Echoing a one-sided letter to the editor from an anti-gun activist did not serve Crain's subscribers in the professional manner they are accustomed to.

OFCC has submitted a response, and we hope Crain's will be good enough to publish. The piece will be published on this website after Crain's has had adequate time to make use of it.

Click on the "Read More..." link below to read the entire editorial.

Several candidates have tossed their hats into the ring to replace former state Rep. Jeff Manning, who recently resigned to take the position of Lorain Co. prosecutor.

Click on the "Read More..." link below to learn more about efforts to replace this pro-CCW, OFCC PAC 2002 endorsee.

Brook Park - Police remained baffled yesterday over the shooting death of Ramona Krotine, whose body was found Friday in the trunk of her car at a rapid transit station.

Cuyahoga County Coroner Elizabeth Balraj said Krotine was shot once in the neck and was beaten on the neck and head.

"We have no leads," Police Chief Kevin McQuaid said.

Krotine, 53, a wife and mother of three who lived in a quiet middle-class neighborhood in Parma, worked at a fudge stand at the International Exposition Center in Brook Park during the Cleveland Sports, Travel and Outdoor Show Thursday night.

After the show, she apparently went to a party with I-X workers at the Clarion Hotel on Bagley Road in Middleburg Heights. Police say she was last seen walking to her car in the lot about 1:30 a.m. Friday.

Family members issued a statement through police, saying Krotine "was a devoted wife, a loving mother and a valued friend and co-worker of many."

Meanwhile, in a state that allows (some) law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense, a different outcome resulted when this California real estate agent was attacked by a would-be rapist:

Click on the Read More..." link below for the full story.