After devising a knee-jerk executive order banning CHL-holders from all county property and from county vehicles, OFCC can now report that Summit County officials are now reexamining the order, in light of OFCC's notification (with the assistance of Tim Dimoff, SACS Consulting and Investigative Services of Akron), that the order is a violation of Section 9 of House Bill 12.

After reading these headlines from ONE DAY in the Akron Beacon-Journal, it would seem county officials should be focusing on what criminals are doing with guns, instead of on finding ways to discriminate against law-abiding, defenseless Ohioans:

Authorities think same two men committed string of Akron crimes
Akron police are investigating a string of robberies that occurred in an hour span Monday night.

Officers believe the same two men committed the robberies. The common link is a dark blue or dark gray Chevy Impala or Caprice that the robbers used to get away.

The robbers wore masks and brandished guns in each incident.

Akron man faces abduction charges
An Akron man faces kidnapping and assault charges in the abduction of a former girlfriend.

[The accused] forced the woman into his car, at gunpoint, around 9 Monday night on Maxen Drive, according to the Akron Police Department. The woman was driven to another location, where he bound her with shoelaces. He then beat her and doused her with bleach repeatedly over the course of the night, police said.

Men invade home, hold woman, 3 kids
A 31-year-old woman and her three children were the victims of a home invasion Monday night in Goodyear Heights.

The Akron Police Department said that three men approached the woman in the 400 block of Iroquois Avenue after she took out the trash at 11:45 p.m. One of the men brandished a handgun, and the trio then forced her into her home. The woman reportedly was struck in the head with the gun.

In many parts of the state, sheriff's offices are handling the implementation of Ohio's new concealed handgun license (CHL) law with the utmost of professionalism. Sheriffs such as Dan Beck in Allen Co. and Gerry Billy in Licking Co. are holding clinics to inform their constituents of the procedures for county residents to obtain licenses to carry concealed weapons.

Most sheriffs tell OFCC PAC and news media that they will be fully ready to accept applications beginning on April 8, 2004, as per Ohio law.

And yet a few sheriffs continue to complain to the media of confusion, lack of materials, etc. Worse still, OFCC PAC continues to receive reports that some sheriffs are informing callers that they will not accept applications on April 8 - some say they may wait as long as June or July (Cuyahoga Co.). One sheriff (Shelby Co.) is attempting to mandate an additional class on top of the requirements of HB12. We have also been informed that at least two sheriffs (Tuscawaras Co. and Stark Co.) are trying to force applicants to obtain licenses by appointment only, which would result only around two thousand applicants in a county per year.

Only the Ohio Attorney General has legal authority to delay implementation of the law, and only for a short time. However, the Attorney General's Office has assured OFCC PAC that they have provided everything they are required to provide to the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association, which represents Ohio's 88 sheriffs, and that there will not be a delay. Additionally, sheriffs have NO authority to add requirements for applicants, or to forceably limit the number of applicants to a tiny fraction of those who wish to apply.

Ohio law states that sheriffs SHALL accept applications, and issue licenses to those who qualify, within 45 days of April 8, 2004. OFCC PAC will continue to work with the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association to ensure on-time implementation.

Please forward reports of any potentially illegal delays to info@buckeyefirearms.org.

On Monday, March 22, Ohioans For Concealed Carry began receiving reports that Marc's/XPECT, an Ohio-owned and operated discount chain in northeast Ohio, had begun posting discriminatory signs against CHL-holders.

We quickly brought this matter to our members' and supporters' attention, along with information on a shopping alternative, since national competitor Walmart has indicated they will NOT be posting such signs.

It didn't take long for Marc's to get the message we've been sharing on What Business Owners Need to Know About CCW.

Two days later, on Wednesday March 24, Marc's began emailing the following announcement to concerned customers:

----- Original Message -----
From: [Marc's Corporate Customer Service]
Sent: Wednesday, March 24, 2004 9:11 AM
Subject: Response to your e-mail

Thank you for your comments regarding the firearms signs you may have seen posted in some of our stores. Please note-- these signs were put up without approval and have since been removed. We appreciate you continued patronage.
----------

This corporation is making a responsible decision. There are no credible studies that show increased dangers to businesses because of concealed carry, yet many prove the benefits.

To send an appreciative email to Marc's, click here.

Related Stories:
Northeast Ohio DISCOUNT-drugmart chain hangs discriminatory signs

''No Guns-No Money'' Cards now available

Do Not Patronize While Armed

March 24, 2004
by Linda Austin
Ft Wayne News-Sentinel

Thomas Jefferson once wrote differences of opinion will arise "in this happy country," but free discussion clears away the "passing clouds" and leaves "our horizon more bright and serene."

If that's true, we are in for a very bright and serene future here in Fort Wayne. About 3,000 of you responded to a question we asked last week about whether The News-Sentinel should provide on its Web site the ability to search a publicly available list of gun permit holders in Allen County.

The overwhelming majority opposed posting the list, but regardless of which side you're on, we'd like to thank everyone who contributed to the debate.

After listening to many of you and reading pages and pages of e-mails, as well as consulting experts in ethics and law enforcement, we've decided not to provide easier access to this public record on our Web site. The prospect of harm seems to outweigh the potential for public good.

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