Wed, 31 Mar 2004
Mark Gribben
Director of Constituent Services
Office of Attorney General Jim Petro

Thank you for your message on the difficulty you are having with the County Sheriffs. Unfortunately, our office doesn't have the legal authority to compel the sheriffs to make the applications process easy, although we have taken all possible steps to make it as simple as possible for them.

The application online is the official application, although some sheriffs are using the template to insert their own logo. There is no reason why a sheriff would not accept the online application.

To give you an idea of what we have provided the sheriffs, here is a brief list of the information that has been sent to them - electronically and on paper since January:

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

Despite the thousands of federal and state gun control laws on the books, Charles McCoy still walked around carrying a concealed gun, shooting willy-nilly at anything that moved, immortalizing himself as the Ohio sniper suspect.

As you can see, DDN readers know better...

April 1, 2004
Dayton Daily News

Conceal-carry law won't affect criminals

RE MARY MCCARTY'S COLUMN "GUN LAW CON- ceals loopholes," March 21: McCarty states her case by quoting a source about "thousands" of Ohioans who are "short-tempered" and "ticking time bombs," and she seems to think people are eagerly counting the days to get their conceal-carry permits, ready to lay aside their honest, law-abiding ways to embark on a life of crime.

McCarty seeks to politicize the Interstate 270 shooter to pander her blatantly anti-self-defense agenda. She weakly cites so-called "loopholes" regarding mental illness in background checks to draw a comparison between sniper suspect Charles A. McCoy Jr. and future conceal-carry permit holders.

This is not surprising in light of her source, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, which has a checkered history of pushing anti-gun sentiment with a toxic blend of bias, half-truths and blind emotion.

The truth of the matter is that criminals and criminally minded people will not be affected by conceal-carry laws. The I-270 shooter criminally misused a firearm and deserves the severest punishment. But, a conceal-carry permit would not have made the shooter's actions any less criminal.

Conceal-carry laws give honest folks a viable defense against senseless and irrational criminals.

Jim Britton
Dayton

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

After reading these headlines from TWO DAYS in the Dayton Daily News, it appears the next Senate President, Jeff Jacobson, calls a very dangerous place home.

We hope Sen. Jacobson is ready to lead the charge on making corrections to Ohio's concealed carry reform law, which was severely corrupted at the hand of Governor Taft, and a few term-limited Senators. He is expected to take the position when the Republican caucus votes in early 2005.

As these headlines show, the Senate and Taft should have been focusing on what criminals are doing with guns, instead of on finding ways to discriminate against law-abiding, defenseless Ohioans:

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

Federal law prohibits firearms inside federal buildings. State law prohibits this felon from being in possession of a firearm. Ohio's concealed handguns law isn't yet in effect. And yet this madman was able to victimize this nurse, before being stopped by someone with a gun (in this case, a hospital guard).

This should be a lesson to the Ohio Hospital Association, which is encouraging hospitals to post discriminatory signs banning concealed handgun license-holders: criminals ARE NOT deterred by bans of any kind.

Man wounded in VA center shooting
Shot by officer after pulling gun on nurse

April 1, 2004
Dayton Daily News

DAYTON | A Trotwood man was shot by a police officer Wednesday after police say he pulled a gun on a nurse at the Dayton Veterans Affairs Medical Center.

The nurse also was wounded in the shooting, but her injuries were not serious, the center said.

Patrick Gregory Power, 37, of Trotwood was charged with assault with a dangerous weapon with intent to do bodily harm and being a felon in possession of a firearm.

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

Sickening.

Keep in mind as you read - two of Ohio's 2006 Governor hopefuls, Attorney General Jim Petro and Auditor Betty Montgomery, supported Taft's 11th hour move to make CHL-holders' identities public.

Apr. 01, 2004
Akron Beacon Journal

Ohio yanks data on ex-cons

State aims to avoid adding to stigma via Web site. Victims' advocate objects

Last month, Ohio prison officials quietly tapped a few computer keys and removed the names of all former inmates from the state's Web site.

Thousands of names, plus photos and the descriptions of crimes committed by former convicts -- records that had been available to the public 24 hours a day for six years -- were removed.

Today, what remains on the site are the names of those inmates who are under control of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction.

The policy change has drawn a mix of reactions from advocates for crime victims and former inmates as well as those interested in access to public records.

Prison Director Reginald Wilkinson defended his decision Wednesday, saying the change was prompted after years of complaints by former inmates and their families.

Although the original Web site was created under his direction in 1998, Wilkinson said he believes that those who have served their time should be able to move forward without such public broadcast of their crimes.

"We have found... because certain former inmates have their picture on the Web site, it's been a disadvantage for them and an embarrassment that has kept them in some cases from getting jobs, and we think that is unfair,'' he said.

"We think that at some point we have to retire the debt that these folks have paid.''

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