Toledo Blade
July 10, 2003

Toledo police have a message for drivers and their passengers: Don’t leave valuables in vehicles.

In the last two days, detectives received 15 reports of thefts from vehicles in West and South Toledo with items taken ranging from purses and wallets to golf clubs and computers. Even a King James Bible was snatched in the incidents, which total thousands of dollars in loss and damage.

About half the thefts were to out-of-state vehicles, especially those parked at motels. Others occurred while people were in restaurants or bars, Sgt. Chris Delaney said.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more of the story, and OFCC PAC Commentary.

Thursday, July 10, 2003
THE COLUMBUS DISPATCH

Two women were abducted at gunpoint and their cars stolen yesterday in what
police described as a one-day crime spree by two men.

Despite a daylong search and a stakeout at a North Side motel, the men were
still at large last night.

One of the women was sexually assaulted before being released along Rt. 161
about 5 a.m., police said. She had been abducted in her car near Ferris Road
and Cleveland Avenue a half-hour earlier.

Police would not give additional details about that incident.

About 7:30 a.m., another woman, stopped at a Speedway station at Maple
Canyon Avenue and Rt. 161, was forced at gunpoint to drive less than 2 miles
away. She was released unharmed.

Meanwhile, in a state that allows its law-abiding citizens to carry a
concealed handgun for self-defense, a different outcome resulted when this
woman was car-jacked by a would-be rapist:

Ohio's suburban and rural communities continue to grow at the expense of the state's large urban areas, according to the latest census population estimates.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more of the story, and for the impact these changes will continue to have on gun ownership and self-defense.

‘Dispatch’ amazingly consistent on issue
Wednesday, July 09, 2003

I recently came upon a passage that appeared in the very first issue of The Dispatch on July 1, 1871, then known as The Daily Dispatch, that is astonishing:

"Nothing can be more absurd than the carrying of concealed weapons in a civilized community without a special purpose, and that in times of tranquility is simply criminal. But as there is more of this deadly practice in vogue than is generally supposed, as every day accidents and incidents attest.

"We concur with the observations of our contemporary of the Cincinnati Enquirer in its expressions as to this baleful practice. There seems to be no limit to human folly and infatuation in the use of firearms."

JOHN B . GABEL
Dublin

OFCC PAC Commentary:
Since the Dispatch wrote this opinion back in 1874, thousands upon thousands of new gun control laws have been placed on the books...yet crimes with guns have continued to skyrocket, moreso in places with the strictest laws.

The trend is reversing itself in places where the right to self-defense is recognized via concealed carry laws - and the most liberal (unrestrictive) laws see the largest impact on crime-reduction.

Thankfully, the editors at the Cincinnati Enquirer (and most of the rest of America) have considered the experience of so many states, and entered the 21st century. The Dispatch is still very proving itself to be very much stuck in 1874.

Click here to read the letter in the Columbus Dispatch.

Gun control used to be an easy, reliable issue for Democrats. Presidential candidates could bring it up and audiences would cheer.

No more. As the party's nine White House hopefuls hop from city to city in candidate forums, no one seems to want to talk guns.

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