April 29, 2004
Detroit Free Press

Intruder's killer: 'I had no choice'
Detroit woman tells of self-defense shooting

Their eyes locked.

Then Barbara Holland saw the barrel of the gun.

She lay on the floor in her house after an intruder had knocked her down while pushing through her side door. While on her back, she drew a 9mm handgun from a holster on her waist.

Her assailant's glare suddenly changed.

"He looked surprised," Holland said.

Then she pulled the trigger.

Holland, a 38-year-old Detroit business owner and mother, remembers firing three shots. Detroit police told her she fired six.

Either way, she killed the 42-year-old man, Clabe Hunt -- who had shoved into her home on Troester, near Hayes, on Detroit's east side at 8:10 p.m. April 13.

He was an ex-con with five children and was armed with a loaded, nickel-plated semi-automatic handgun that was not registered to him. Autopsy reports indicate he was shot in the head multiple times. He never fired his weapon.

Police officers said Holland's gun was licensed, and they determined the shooting to be self-defense. Wayne County prosecutors continue to investigate, which is routine in most fatal shootings.

Citizens defending themselves are precisely what backers of Michigan's controversial concealed-weapons law had in mind when they worked to pass the legislation in 2001. The law makes it easier for anyone without felony convictions or mental illnesses to obtain a permit to carry concealed weapons.

"The more the criminal element knows that Michigan residents can protect themselves and will protect themselves, the more crime goes down," said state Sen. Alan Cropsey, R-Dewitt.

Some opponents of the law predicted a large increase in self-defense-type shootings. Gov. Jennifer Granholm, who opposed the measure when she was state attorney general, has acknowledged that has not occurred.

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

April 30, 2004
Toledo Blade

Some weeks ago the Ford administration announced its intention to ban concealed-carry in parks, on TARTA buses, and other public places, claiming this ability under "home rule."

Not only does the state constitution specifically prohibit this, so does the newly passed concealed-carry law, a recent state Supreme Court ruling, Toledo Municipal Code, and the oaths of office of elected and appointed officials.

Article 18, Sections 3 and 7 are very clear on the abilities of municipal corporations to put further restrictions upon general laws of the state.

In the concealed-carry law itself, the General Assembly pre-empted cities from adding additional restrictions upon those licensed to carry concealed handguns.

The Ohio Supreme Court, in the case of Klein vs. Leis, held that the legislature has the authority to determine the method of carry of a firearm. This also means that the legislature has the ability to legalize concealed carry. Further, by finding that bearing arms for defense and security is a fundamental right, the court found that Toledo's ban on open carry is unconstitutional.

Toledo's own Municipal Code also prohibits the City from enacting this ban. Just look to section 549.21(b). Add to this the obligations of public officials to protect the rights of the people and obey the laws of the state under their oaths of office, and it is clear that City of Toledo officials have no ability to impose such a ban. This is nothing but an illegal usurpation of power.

This "you have to obey the law, but we are free to ignore it" attitude must not stand, and I would think the people, especially the media, would question why City officials seem to think they can assume the power of dictators.

Bruce A. Beatty
Luckey

Related Story:
Attorney General concurs: City and county gun banners preempted by state law

Ohioans For Concealed Carry has confirmed that Summit Co. Executive James McCarthy's executive order "prohibiting guns in all county buildings and vehicles and on county property" will be modified to reflect the law under Section 9 of Ohio House Bill 12.

Readers of this website were first made aware of this original Section 9 violator in early February.

On February 2, the Akron Beacon Journal reported that Summit County Executive James McCarthy issued an executive order "prohibiting guns in all county buildings and vehicles and on county property." This represented the first such action by a political subdivision in the wake of passage of House Bill 12.

Ohioans For Concealed Carry was quick to point out that the General Assembly expressed it's intent to preempt any such actions to restrict concealed carry in Section 9 of House Bill 12.

Steven H. Libbey, Deputy Director of the Summit Co. Criminal Justice Affairs Division, confirmed yesterday that the executive order is being modified.

"No-CCW" signs will be posted on county buildings only, in accordance with the law under HB12, and concealed handgun license-holders will not be prohibited from county property.

County officials are still discussing the implementation of rules regarding concealed carry for county employees while at work.

Upon discovery a potential violation, OFCC's legal representation has been contacting county, city, and township law directors across the state. To date, approximately fifteen political subdivisions in Ohio have reversed course on plans to enact new bans after being made aware of Section 9 of House Bill 12. In addition, the cities of Columbus, Cleveland, Newark and Loveland had existing bans in place (pre-HB12), and have publicly acknowledged that Section 9 preempts their ability to continue to enforce the ban.

Toledo Mayor Jack Ford continues to claim that CHL-holders will be arrested and face extensive fines and jail-time if found on public property such as parks. Enforcement of such a ban would clearly violate the law, which Ford took an oath of office to uphold.

Related Story:
Attorney General concurs: City and county gun banners preempted by state law

...and yet the gun ban lobby claims you are "buying into a culture of fear" if you make a responsible choice to bear arms for self-defense.

April 29, 2004
Columbus Dispatch

Deputies going after 10,000 felony suspects

Franklin County deputy sheriffs will work overtime to whittle away at a backlog of 10,000 outstanding felony warrants for crimes ranging from drug offenses to murder.

The department’s fugitive squad, which nabs an average of 1,200 suspects a year and travels across the country to retrieve those arrested elsewhere, has been unable to keep up, Chief Deputy Steve Martin said.

"You name it, we got it," Martin said of the crimes on the outstanding warrants. "A smattering," he said, are murders. Charges cover all five levels of felonies, and some are years old.

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Last October, Central Ohio Crime Stoppers published a book that listed the names, descriptions, last known addresses and other information for 900 of Franklin County’s most-wanted felons.

The attempt to enlist the public’s help came two months after a North Side Wendy’s employee was shot and killed, allegedly by a 22-year-old man who already was wanted on an outstanding felony warrant.

It was a one-time effort, though, said Columbus police detective Gerald Milner, the group’s coordinator. It was expensive and would have required constant updating, he said.

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

To hear the gun ban extremists tell it, there is no need for self-defense in parks, and those who make preparations to defend themselves in case they do, are "buying into a culture of fear." Notice how this news outlet suggests that having a cell phone can make you safer, but says nothing of Ohio's new concealed handgun license law.

Flasher exposes himself to young woman in North Chagrin Reservation

April 29, 2004
WKYC.com NBC Ch. 3 Cleveland

NORTH CHAGRIN RESERVATION -- As the weather turns warmer and more people are getting outdoors comes word that authorities are looking for a man who targeted a woman in one of the Metroparks.

Metropark rangers say the man flashed himself to a woman jogger then asked for sex.

It happened at the North Chagrin Reservation.

"I'm always aware that that could happen or even something worse even," said Lisa Casamatta.

Hikers like Lisa Casamatta and Libbie Tenaglia enjoy the North Chagin Reservation and are cautious. But they say they won't let this incident scare them away.

"This is really a park that's used by all ages, families and seniors and everybody in between so we still want folks to come out and enjoy this park," said Casamatta. "We're very lucky to have it."

It was an unlucky morning for a 24-year-old woman when she encountered the flasher at 11:30 a.m. on a warm spring Saturday.

"A white male had himself exposed and he blocked her path and she was brave enough not to let him scare her, but that was apparently enough to frighten him away and he took off running," said Sgt. Ernie Oergel of the Cleveland Metroparks.

The woman describes the man as about six-foot-two in his late thirties with dark blonde hair and a beard.

Park rangers fear they'll be the more victims since these incidents seem to rise as the temperature does.

"As soon as the warm weather comes we get a few here and there and it can happen in any of our park reservations," said Oergel.

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

On April 16, 2004, the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence (Toby Hoover) issued a statewide press release, accusing Ohio State Representative Jim Aslanides, sponsor of House Bill 12, of violating Ohio's new Concealed Handgun License law.

"The Ohio gun lobby repeats the mantra, 'enforce the existing laws', and then the chief sponsor of the carrying concealed weapons law, Rep. Aslanides, breaks the law in obtaining his permit. I think this shows a serious lack of judgment and respect on the part of Rep. Aslanides, for the need to have sensible public safety measures in place," said Hoover.

"I think law enforcement, and the Attorney General's office should investigate how the CCW applicant system clearly broke down, and whether political influence or favors impacted the application system to benefit Rep. Aslanides."

Hoover's accusations were based on two sentences from a Columbus Dispatch story, indicating that Aslanides have been "issued" a license shortly after midnight on April 8, and that his background check was completed later that morning.

Had Hoover bothered to investigate further before publicly accusing an honored State Representative of breaking the law, she would have found out what every other reporter that called to investigate her claims learned:

Rep. Aslanides' license was physically printed at that time to reserve for him "License #1", an honor estended to him by his county Sheriff out of respect for his hard work as the sponsor of HB12.

But Aslanides tells OFCC he was NOT "issued" his license on April 8. In fact, he has still not even picked up his license - it is still waiting at the Sheriff's office.

Typically eager to reprint any claims Hoover makes, Ohio's liberal media did NOT reprint her story - obviously they too quickly learned her that charges were baseless.

Only one news source did: the Brady Campaign's Jointogether.org.

Let's hope the media keeps this in mind the next time they receive a press release from the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, or reads a story at the Brady Campaign's Jointogether.com.

No credibility. None.

Related Stories:
Caught: Gun Ban Lobby Attempts Rhetorical Revisionism

Gun ban lobby seeks to block Ohio Right to Carry in court

Another day, another advocation of law-breaking by gun ban extremists

Ohio gun banners advocating prank ''man-with-a-gun'' calls

OFCC volunteers have scored several victories in the effort to inform businesses about Ohio's new concealed carry law, and get them to remove discriminatory signs that had been posted.

Deacon's Chrysler in Mayfield Village told customers that the signs had been sent out by the Cleveland Auto Dealers' Association, and that an employee had just assumed they were supposed to go up.

King's Toyota, Deerfield Twp. (Cincinnati) took their signs down after a customer walked away from a deal after handing his salesperson a No Guns-No Money card.

Norris Auto Mall LLC owns eight new automotive and motorcyle stores in the Cleveland/ Akron/ Medina area. They posted signs after having a Sheriff's deputy* come in and offer to post free signs.
(We find it extremely ironic to hear sheriffs complaining about not having enough manpower for issuing licenses, only to learn that they are spending time giving out signs to advocate CCW bans.)

Please thank these dealers by giving them your business. Better still, thank the dealers that have never posted in the first place. And thank dealers which have become advocates for concealed carry, such as Madisonville-based Cincinnati Motor Car, whose owner recently told the Cincinnati Enquirer:

"I think the law will reduce the crime rate. Crimes of opportunity may be reduced. The perpetrators might have to think twice. There will be less crime when people have second thoughts."

Certain other car dealers that have not yet gotten the message.

When asked why they were banning CHL-holders, one of the dealers listed below (all of which have posted discriminatory signs), told a customer that "we get a lot of angry customers in here."

Perhaps there's a lesson in that...

NOTE: This list was accurate on the day it was published. Several of these dealerships have since taken down their signs. For an accurate list of posted dealerships, please visit OFCC's Do Not Patronize While Armed database.

Bedford Nissan, Bedford
Brown Pontiac, Toledo
Byers Chevrolet, Delaware
Charles Chevrolet, Garrettsville
Charlie's Dodge, Maumee
Dan Jordan Chrysler-Jeep, Beechwood
Don Wood Automotive Group, Athens & Logan
Ed Pike Lincoln Mercury, Mentor
Ferris Chevrolet, New Philadelphia
Hittle Pontiac-Buick-GMC-Cadillac, 1270 Sweitzer St., Greenville
Ganley Subaru East, Wickliffe
Glockner Honda and Toyota, Portsmouth
J&J Motors, Lincoln Way, Massilion
Jeff Wyler Honda,Cincinnati
Jim Keim Ford, 5575 Keim Circle, Columbus
Kennedy's Sport Cycles, Elyria
Kings Mazda and Kia, 4544 Kingswater Dr., Cincinnati
Kingswood Chrysler, Cincinnati
Kistler Ford, Toledo
Krieger Ford, Columbus
Laria Chevrolet-Buick, Rittman
Marshall Ford East, Mayfield Heights
Midway Pontiac-Chevrolet-Buick, Orwell
Mike Pruitt Ford, Lima
Mike Pruitt Honda, Akron
Montrose Ford, Fairlawn
Nassief Chevrolet-Pontiac-Cadillac-Honda, Ashtabula
Northgate Lincoln-Mercury, Cincinnati
Performance Pontiac, Wooster
Quality Buick, Madison
Ricart Ford, Chillicothe
Roman Cycle, Austintown
Saturn of Toledo
Saturn of Beechmont, Cincinnati
Saturn of King's Auto Mall, Cincinnati
Subaru of Beechmont, Cincinnati
Taylor Motors, Columbus Road, Athens
Terry Lee Chevrolet, Deerfield Twp. (Cincinnati)
Tony LaRiche Chevrolet, Willoughby Hills
Voss Chevrolet, Centerville
Wadsworth Ford, 851 Broad St., Wadsworth
Wallace Lincoln Mercury, 556 4th St. NW, Barberton
White-Allen Automotive Dealerships, all Dayton locations

Ohioans For Concealed Carry has learned that The Ohio Auto Dealers Association mailed "No CCW" signs to their members, and suggested that they post them "for liability protection." Click here to share your thoughts with OADA.

04.28.04
Middletown Journal

By Sim Evans
For The Journal

“Remember the first rule of gunfighting: ‘Have a gun.”’
— Jeff Cooper

Ohio’s concealed carry is now in effect. It is, as the old folks used to say, the law of the land, but the controversy still rages. Libraries that, only a few months ago, were begging the taxpayers for money, have now posted signs prohibiting firearms. They don’t want “guns amongst the children,” so please mail in your money.

Many restaurant chains are, as a matter of policy, doing the same thing. The thought of an armed citizen impatiently awaiting the belated delivery of a bowl of cold soup disturbs management. They know their product, they know their employees, and they’d rather not take any chances.

Newspaper editorials are nearly unanimous in their condemnation of this new law. Recently I had occasion to visit a local newspaper office. Upon entry, the first person I encountered was a uniformed guard. Taciturn and unsmiling, he requested that I state my business. I surmised his job was to keep out the riffraff, so I left. They must not trust their subscribers.

Even the Social Security office has a “no guns” sign, in large print, so us old geezers can read it. Inside, they have an armed guard, and I don’t understand why. Nobody goes to the Social Security office to steal; heck, they give money away down there.

Generally speaking, the police prefer that no one else carry a weapon, and this is understandable. If everybody has a gun, including Grandma, then what’s left for a policeman to feel special about? If everyone were sufficiently capable of defending themselves, so as to make the cost of aggression unacceptably high, then who would pay the policeman’s mortgage?

Police officials are fond of saying it is a safety issue; that police already have the most dangerous job in the community, and more guns on the street just makes it worse. Well, they are entitled to their own opinion but, as Sen. Pat Moynihan once said, “not to their own facts.” When it comes to dangerous jobs, being a policeman does not even rank in the top ten.

The statistics are firm on this; even the pizza delivery boy’s job is much more dangerous than that of the cop on the beat. Or one could reasonably interpret this statistic to indicate that police are unable to protect the pizza delivery boys.

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

Gun ban extremists want us to believe that crimes are never thwarted; that the presence of firearms in the hands of law-abiding citizens will make bad situations worse; that vigilante justice will be meeted out if a criminal is ever apprehended by an armed citizen in an emotionally charged situation. Why should their lies continue to be put in print or taken into account?

April 27, 2004
WKYC.com NBC Ch. 3

84-year-old woman raped in her home, neighbors capture suspect

CLEVELAND -- An 84-year old woman was attacked and raped in her home on Cleveland's near west side Tuesday.

The suspect is already behind bars thanks to the victim's neighbors, who risked their lives to apprehend him.

"Most of the crowd that was chasing him was all women, I was surprised," said one witness.

Women like 75-year-old Ester Matlak and her daughter.

"The worst part of it is the guy, the man, had lived in this neighborhood," said Matlak.

"And for someone to do this to her, sick, it's just sick," said neighbor Aretta Schreman.

The victim's daughter caught the suspect red handed and came running into the street.

She screamed, "he's raping my mother, he's raping my mother."

That's when all the women from the nearby houses came running out.

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"I seen the daughter out here screaming and I was yelling, yelling, yelling and me and him fought all the way around the alley," said neighbor Lois Rodgers. "I kept trying to stop him and he kept trying to run."

"And to do something to Millie like that, she's a good hearted person, good hearted," said neighbor Kathy Oberst.

"Cause I wish I could have got him, I really do, we all could have got him right here all the neighbors, all the women," said neighbor Maryellen Trost.

The women had the 27-year-old suspect cornered in a nearby alley when neighbor Art Ledger came running outside with a handgun.

"And I had it right on his forehead and said you stay right here. Then the police department arrived," said neighbor Art Ledger.

"I just wish they would have dragged him out of the cop car and did him in right there, but you know what, that would be too good for him, I hope he gets the maximum sentence," said Michael Hudak, the victim's grandson.

And thanks to the bravery of the victims' neighbors, justice will be done.

Related Stories:
''Retail Rapist'' sought in greater Cincinnati

Police: Woman Raped In Downtown Parking Garage

Woman Reports Rape At I-77 Rest Stop

Rape deterrence and concealed carry reform

ifeminists.com: Women need to defend themselves

Gun permit applicants increasingly are women

Poll: 9-11 attacks and D.C. snipers trigger soccer mom support for self-defense

This guy didn't need a concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry out his crimes, and would have ignored a sign banning him from this store, just as he ignored all the laws he broke.

April 27, 2004
Dayton Daily News

Trotwood police shoot theft suspect
Ignored orders to drop gun, officials say

TROTWOOD | Trotwood police shot and wounded a shoplifting suspect Monday in the parking lot of Target at 2800 Shiloh Springs Road.

Officers said they pursued the 49-year-old man after receiving a report at 1:55 p.m. of shoplifting at the Kmart store across the street. Security guards had been fighting with an armed man outside the store, police Chief Mike Etter said. Trotwood police called for backup, and three marked cruisers and three unmarked police cars arrived.

The man ran across Shiloh Springs Road into the middle of the Target parking lot and held a handgun to his head, Etter said.

Officers warned the man to drop the gun, but when he did not surrender, they shot him with several rounds from a shotgun that fired bean bags, Etter said. The man then started running away and was shot in the shoulder by an officer armed with a 40-caliber handgun after he turned back toward the officers.

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