A man armed with a silver handgun yesterday robbed the BP station, 3211 Briarfield Blvd., Monclova Township, marking the sixth gas station heist in two days.

Authorities believe all six holdups were committed by the same man.

The man entered the station about 6:40 a.m. and displayed the handgun. He fled westbound with about $85.

On Thursday, three gas stations in Toledo, one in Maumee, and one in Springfield Township were robbed of money and cigarettes.

Meanwhile, in a nearby state that allows its law-abiding citizens to a carry concealed handgun for self-defense, a shockingly similar story had a much different ending for this store clerk:

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

Mayor Jack Ford, the anti-CCW mayor who recently cast a tie-breaking vote to uphold Toledo's ban on the sale or ownership of inexpensive handguns, said he will kick off "Meet the Mayor Night" on March 12 at Aurora Gonzalez Center, One Aurora Gonzalez Drive, in South Toledo.

All the meetings will be from 6 to 8 p.m.

The mayor said appointments are preferred so meetings can be scheduled to save citizens’ time and to give the mayor’s staff time to prepare. Citizens are asked to call 419-936-2020 from 8 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through Friday to schedule an appointment at one of the upcoming Meet the Mayor Nights.

Meetings are planned twice a month in community centers in each of Toledo’s 16 Zip Code areas, concluding in late September, and will be publicized.

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The two victors in last fall's Ohio Supreme Court races received significantly more small contributions than the campaign losers, according to a report released Monday by Ohio Citizen Action. Justices Evelyn Lundberg Stratton and Maureen O'Connor received four times as many contributions valued at less than $200 than did Judges Tim Black and Janet Burnside, the report says.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
State Senator Kevin Coughlin says recent Supreme Court races, where outside interests have spent millions of dollars trying to get candidates elected, have compromised the integrity of the court.

He has introduced a resolution that would ask Ohio voters (for a third time) to amend the state Constitution to allow the appointment, instead of election, of Ohio Supreme Court justices.

While there certainly is a lot of "big money" involved in these races, this report from Ohio Citizen Action reveals just how much the "little guy" played a role in electing a more conservative court this past November.

We know OFCC PAC supporters played a part in boosting those under-$200 donations for O'Connor and Stratton.

So why does this Republican Senator want to take away your right to vote on Supreme Court Justices?

Click here to read the entire story from the Ohio News Network.

The president of the Million Mom March's Greater Cleveland chapter, Lori O'Neill, has written yet another letter to an Ohio newspaper editor which raises serious questions about her ability to get the facts straight.

In her letter, O'Neill states that "one very influential group has yet to weigh in on the issue: business."

But as we reported on December 31, 2002, the Ohio Council of Retail Merchants, a group representing 3,300-members, has voiced support for this reform.

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

Ohioans For Concealed Carry's Central Ohio Coordinator, Steve Grimes, appeared on The Ohio News Network's Capitol Square program over the weekend (ONN Channel Guide). Many have remarked that Steve Grimes did well and made his point by citing facts, statistics, and the law.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for a complete recap.

The Cincinnati Enquirer is reporting that, according to the latest Ohio Poll, Gov. Bob Taft's approval rating has dropped 26 percentage points since just before he was re-elected.

The poll found that only 40 percent of those surveyed approved of Taft's job performance, the lowest for a governor since 1983 when Richard Celeste was in office. Forty-eight percent disapproved of Taft's performance, the worst rating ever recorded for a governor.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
While the media is likely accurate in attributing much of the decline in popularity to his failure to keep a campaign promise concerning tax increases, we think it important to note that something else happened last December that is likely to have played against him: Taft's opposition to HB274 resulted in the demise of concealed carry reform in the 124th General Assembly.

Two campaign promises broken in the span of two months, and it's no wonder why term-limited Bob Taft is fast becoming the lamest of ducks.

Click here to read the entire story in the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Cincinnati Enquirer columnist Peter Bronson has published an excellent piece in today's paper, and really hits home on several key issues:

"Ohio is unarmed. Many expect the court to rule likewise: Ohio's ban on packing violates the simple language in the state constitution. Makes sense. How can Ohio residents "bear arms for their defense and security" if they have to leave their guns at home or locked in the trunk of their car?"

"Thanks mainly to Gov. Taft, who ran as an advocate of CCW and then flip-flopped and now threatens to veto the law (emphasis added), Ohio looks like an island of stupidity surrounded by a sea of gun-rights sanity."

The article is not without a minor complaint, however. Cincinnati's Rep. Seitz, while pressing for passage of HB12, is quoted as saying a Vermont-style Ohio "really will be the Wild West, with no training, no background checks and no law at all."

While we understand Rep. Seitz may be trying to put the pressure on those who oppose HB12 to consider the alternative, we wish he'd avoid resorting to the kind of rhetoric that the gun grabbers use. The truth is, an Ohio after a Supreme Court ruling would look much like Vermont has for the past century.

Click here to read the entire column.