One month later, the Dayton Daily News has finally published one of the letters they received in response to Mary McCarty's fear-mongering diatribe about Ohio's new concealed handgun law.

March 5, 2004
Dangerous people carry guns now

RE MARY MCCARTY'S FEB. 1 COLUMN, "GUN LAW conceals its danger": McCarty and Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, still don't get it. Why do they think law-abiding citizens pose a threat?

Passing a concealed-carry law does not mean more dangerous people will carry guns. That number won't change. What will change is that safe people will have the legal right to carry, if they so choose.

There are dangerous people who carry firearms every day now. Bad guys will not go through training and background checks to obtain a permit from the state. They simply will carry illegally.

It could be the person behind you in the checkout line, or maybe the guy working on your house, or waiting beside you at at the bus stop. You just don't know who has a firearm.

But, not everyone is a criminal. So why is there a need to publish the names and birthdates of concealed-weapons permit holders?

You can be sure the concealed-carry permit holders are law-abiding citizens who already legally own firearms and choose to protect themselves and their families. For those of you who wish to remain unarmed, that is, of course, your choice. Feel free to publish those names in the paper, so the criminals will know whom to target.

As for me, I won't be a victim, and wait for law enforcement to arrive afterward to take the report.

Pattric Gould
Medway

Click on the "Read More..." link below for two more excellent letters supporting concealed carry.

Haven't we been told that Ohio's 150 year-old concealed-carry ban was supposed to prevent headlines like these? Weren't we led to believe we'd be reading stories like this AFTER Ohio's concealed handgun law goes into effect?

March 4, 2004
Cincinnati Post

The latest Cincinnati "Quality of Life Index" and crime report shows that crime is slightly down, but shootings are up.

The index was started by Cincinnati City Council two years ago as a way of tracking progress, or lack of it, in city services.

The index, along with crime statistics, is presented quarterly by the city manager's office to council's law committee.

The report for the fourth quarter of 2003 and for the entire year, issued this week, showed that the number of violent crimes dropped slightly from 29,216 in 2002 to 28,633 in 2003.

However, the number was still significantly higher than in 2000, when 23,503 violent crimes were reported. Violent crime took a sharp increase to 28,262 in 2001, when there were riots, and remains at a higher level than in pre-riot years.

Shootings with injuries jumped from 246 in 2002 to 397 last year.

"The firearm discharge is very troubling," said David Pepper, chairman of the law committee.

Is there something in the water at the Cleveland business media's office buildings?

Inside Business Magazine
March 2004 Issue

Trouble Shooting

The Editors
editorial@inside-business.com

When Ohio’s new concealed handgun law takes effect April 8, it doesn’t mean employees will be allowed to stash pieces in their cubicles. But it does mean employers should consider creating or updating handgun policies.

“There is nothing in the statute that prohibits businesses and corporations from forbidding employees and customers [from bringing] guns into the workplace,” says Michael Hanna, a partner at Squire, Sanders & Dempsey LLP in Cleveland. He adds that there’s a misconception that employees will have the right to carry a gun to work once they have obtained a license; actually, employers can still prohibit them from the workplace, all company property and company-owned vehicles.

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