January 30, 2004
by Gerard Valentino

The recent debate over public records provisions in Ohio's concealed carry law
sent the media into full blown fits about infringing freedom of the press and
their self-proclaimed position as protectors of the common person from abuses
by Big Brother. Hearing them describe their defense of the commoner conjures up
images of valiant crusades headed by knights in shining armor - and reeks of
elitism and shameless self-righteousness.

It also requires we ask the question, if the media is watching big brother, who
is watching them? The sad, painful answer is that nobody protects us from the whim of
so-called journalists concerned more with pushing their own agenda instead of
reporting the news. The concealed carry debate is a glaring example of how
journalistic integrity takes a back seat to the leftist agenda of most
reporters.

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

January 30, 2004
Akron Beacon Journal

The only thing loaded about the concealed-weapon issue is the media and
certain elected officials. The Jan. 9 story about the new Ohio law
("Concealed guns a loaded issue'') amazed me. Too bad I have to wait until
April for the shootouts in the streets.

Our elected officials and the Beacon Journal insult all Ohioans with the
assumption that we can't be trusted with firearms. The fact that dozens of
other states -- most of the United States -- allow law-abiding citizens to
carry a concealed firearm doesn't seem to matter. We in Ohio will be the
exception and start shooting each other along the highways and streets.

Except that won't happen. It hasn't happened anywhere else, and it won't
happen here -- unless, of course, there's something different about Ohio that
I missed over the 14 years I've lived here.

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January 30, 2004
Toledo Blade

I was offended by your "we know what is really good for you attitude." You spoke harshly and inanely against the concealed-carry law just passed in Ohio. When was the last time any of you walked the mean streets of Toledo?

Those of us who live and work in Toledo have been under fire from the criminals for a very long time, and it seems to be intensifying. If I, for one, could carry a weapon, I would feel 100 percent safer. I hope that the criminals will now think again before they rape, rob, or steal. Just think, the victim may now be armed and the criminal might get hurt. If they only have the brains to realize that fact, we all really might be safer.

Certainly, I understand your concern for the welfare of our police officers and support it. I am the father of a Toledo Police Department officer. Our police have been concerned about traffic stops for a long time, even before the new law. How many police officers have been shot by criminals carrying weapons unlawfully?

Do they face that much more danger by stopping the "pistol-packing grandma" who objects to getting a ticket?

The Blade needs to stop acting as if it is the only one with intelligence in this town. Stop trying to mold us into your idea of a "perfect society." Average Toledoans can think for themselves and form their own opinions.

JOHN J.N. FRY
Queen Street

Click on the "Read More..." link below for two more responses, published on February 1, 2004.

01-28-2004
Cincinnati Post

Getting weapons off the streets

The value of equipping police with non-lethal weapons has been shown at least twice this month.

Last week, Cincinnati police successfully used a stun gun on a suspect who was reaching for a gun as he struggled with officers who had run him down in a foot chase. It was the type of situation that could easily enough have forced officers to use deadly force. Earlier in the month police used a Taser, with no lasting harm, to subdue a man in a West Price Hill apartment.

The point is that stun guns, while not the end-all and be-all, can in certain situations be a useful addition to the law enforcement arsenal.

Of course, these incidents also drive home the danger that police face every day. Indeed, the most recent use of a stun gun to subdue an armed suspect came at about the time federal and local officials were issuing a disturbing report on the prevalence of guns on city streets.

It's impossible to know, of course, just how many people are carrying guns, legally or otherwise, at any given moment. But police arrest records provide one barometer. In 2000, Cincinnati police made 202 gun-related arrests and confiscated 805 weapons. In 2001, there were 247 such arrests and 919 guns confiscated. In 2002 the number of arrests nearly doubled, to 415, and the number of weapons seized jumped to 1,156. Last year was worse yet: 471 gun-related arrests, 1,508 guns seized.

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January 28, 2004
Cincinnati Enquirer

WEST END - Mary Lockett's Dayton Street home in the West End has been broken into five times since Thursday.

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The burglars took countless items, including jewelry, china dishes and other family heirlooms. They were even bold enough to smoke half a pack of cigarettes and devour a pot of chili that was sitting on her stove.

"I want to find out why this is happening to me," said Lockett, 57. "Am I going to get my stuff back? And why can't the police control this?"

Questions like Lockett's abounded Tuesday night at St. Joseph's Catholic Church during the first of six monthly safety summits hosted by Cincinnati City Councilman David Pepper. About 50 people braved the cold to discuss crime in the West End.

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