An article published in the October 8, 2004 Columbus Dispatch examines the first six months of Ohio's new Concealed Handgun License (CHL) law. Written by veteran reporter and capitol observer Lee Leonard, the article compares reality to the fear-based predictions offered by members of the gun ban lobby less than a year ago, and takes a look ahead at potential future improvements to the law.

Leonard's article starts off like this:

Last week, the co-owner of a Lake County video-rental store received a wake-up call in the form of a "customer" who relieved his cash register of $304 by displaying a handgun.

Adam, a 32-year-old ex-Marine who didn’t want his last name used, now has posted a sign at Video Replay in Willoughby welcoming concealed-weapons permit holders — and he’s taking the training course to get his own permit.

"This guy was like the Prozac robber; he was so calm and cool," Adam said of the Sept. 27 robbery. "He pulled his shirt up and showed the gun. I said, ‘Sure thing, dude, you can have whatever you want.’ "

Adam said the offender, who is suspected of three other robberies in the area, had his gun stuffed so tightly into his belt that "if I had a gun under the cash drawer, I could have got the drop on him, and he’d be sitting in jail now."

Adam said a check-cashing establishment two doors from Video Replay has been robbed twice. He’s getting his permit because "it’s something I feel I should do, even if I’m not going to carry 24 hours a day."

When he gets his concealed-carry permit, Adam will be one of about 35,000 Ohio permit holders under the law that, by most accounts, has worked well in its first six months.

(for more on Adam's story from the original OFCC PAC story, click here)

More than 26,000 persons obtained CHLs in the first 3 months, and an estimated 12,000 did so over the "slow" summer, bringing the total number of law-abiding citizens now exercising their right to bear arms for self-defense in Ohio to around 38,000. More on the numbers game to follow.

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

October 8, 2004
Willoughby News-Herald

Weapons instruction provides valuable lessons
Writer takes the test

By Jeffrey L. Frischkorn

The last time I was this nervous about taking an exam was ... well, let's just say a very long time ago.

My test contained 25 multiple choice questions, each addressing some aspect of the 10 hours of intense classroom instruction I received.

The last thing I wanted to do was fail, either the written exam or the also-required two hours of hands-on training required by Ohio's law establishing the right to carry a concealed handgun. That law took effect six months ago.

At the heart of the test was material contained within the 223-page National Rifle Association's "Guide to the Basics of Personal Protection in the Home." Under Ohio law, a person must ascribe to 10 hours of certified training that meets certain, specified criteria.

A prospective concealed carry permit applicant also must perform a minimum of two hours of practical training. This includes range time and live-fire experience.
Though the state does not endorse any particular form of training, the generally accepted format is the NRA's personal protection course.

It was this course the Hartsgrove Township-based Crooked Creek Conservation Club got when it hired certified instructor Bud Connolly of Perry Village. Connolly segmented the course into two concurrent Saturday sessions.

Click here to read the entire story from the Willoughby News-Herald.

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