April 10, 2004
Columbus Dispatch

State Rep. Tom Niehaus has won the narrowest primary contest for the state Senate in memory, besting fellow Republican Rep. Jean Schmidt by 22 votes out of more than 34,000 cast for the 14th District nomination in southern Ohio.

A recount yesterday in Scioto County showed no change in the official count in the March 2 primary, giving Niehaus the edge.

Earlier, Niehaus had gained four votes in the recount in Clermont County, and Schmidt had gained six votes in Lawrence County and two votes in Brown County. There was no change in the recount in Adams County.

All that remains is for Clermont County, the largest in the five-county district along the Ohio River, to certify the results to the secretary of state’s office.

Niehaus will face Democrat Paul Schwietering in the fall election to succeed Senate President Doug White of Adams County, who must leave the Senate after this year because of term limits.

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

April 06, 2004
WKYC.com (NBC Ch. 3 Cleveland)

CLEVELAND -- On the eighth of April, Ohio residents will have the right to carry concealed weapons.

With the new right comes questions concerning the quality of the classes needed for acquiring the concealed carry permit.

Will those with conceal carry licenses get the training required? Is it enough to keep you and those carrying weapons safe? Target 3 investigator Dave Summers shows us why some people are worried.

If you're going to conceal and carry a gun in Ohio you have to take 10 hours of classroom instruction and two hours on the range.

With no standardized conceal carry class or test though, trainers may be shooting from the hip.

A Target 3 producer we'll call "Erin" took a class in Mentor at B&T Gun Shop.

Erin failed the 50-question test needed to get in the class.

Instead of giving her money back, General Manager Jim Titlow gave her a second chance at the test, giving her many of the correct answers.

B&T did redeem itself though, telling Erin she must repeat the class.

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

April 11, 2004
Columbus Dispatch

It is alarming that Sunday’s Business section article "Armed and ready?" ignored one crucial question on the possible consequences of Ohio businesses prohibiting legally concealed weapons from their premises. The article highlights the potential financial backlash of the signs in lost business. No doubt that is a serious concern for a business owner. But surely the safety of their employees and customers is a larger issue.

The unasked question is: Does the display of a "Weapon Free Zone" sign in the window of your business make you an easy target for those bent on armed robbery or worse?

The Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence believes that posting a sign makes the workplace safer. But does anyone really believe that armed robberies will increase in retail stores because a legal permit-holder now will be able to carry a firearm on the premises? Or that a sign in the window will prevent a criminal from entering armed?

In reality, an armed criminal will now have two choices when picking his target: He can walk into a store with no sign displayed with the fear that he may meet deadly resistance when he draws his weapon to threaten others, or he can enter a store with a "No Firearms" sign, confident that he has easy pickings. A simple, logical choice that even the most dimwitted of thieves can no doubt manage.

Will the patrons of the business with a sign really be or even feel safer?

It is equally obvious that there are places best left void of firearms, but these prohibitions are already written into the law. Many employers have long-standing prohibitions on weapons in the workplace; however, most of those businesses are not likely targets for opportunistic, armed criminal activity.

Certainly, it is the right of any business owner to prohibit firearms from his location, but retail business owners need to ask themselves what kind of armed citizen they wish to discourage: the legally licensed, trained citizen or the criminal who scoffs at established laws and intends harm.

TONY MEYERS
Lewis Center

Commentary:
Mr. Meyers gets it, but many in the Ohio media certainly do not. Now that Ohioans are about to see for themselves that the dire warnings they've been offering for years will not come to pass, Ohio editorial boards have switched to a new prediction.

The latest claim by the media elitists is that concealed carry will bring...nothing. Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

We've long maintained that instructors and students under Ohio's new concealed handgun license law have an important responsiblity to act as ambassadors for ALL law-abiding gun owners. If guilty of the charges against him, this guy was clearly interested in representing only one person: himself.

April 9, 2004
Hamilton News Journal

MONROE — As scores of Butler County residents lined up to apply for concealed carry gun licenses Thursday, a Monroe firearms instructor was being arrested at a gun shop on falsification and weapons charges.

James Burgess, a National Rifle Association certified firearms instructor, is charged with felony carrying a concealed weapon and misdemeanor falsification.

An undercover investigation revealed Burgess, 68, of Karen Drive, Middletown issued training certificates to at least 27 students without requiring them to complete the mandated number of instruction hours, according to the Butler County Sheriff’s Office.

The students were administered less than half of the required 12 hours of training, rendering their training certificates invalid, said Maj. Anthony Dwyer. They will need to retake a training class if they want to apply for a handgun permit.

At the time of his arrest, Burgess also was carrying a concealed loaded gun for which he did not have a permit, according to authorities. The first day to apply for permits was Thursday. They take 45 days to process.

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

The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police (FOP) lobbied the Senate to have some of the more offensive amendments inserted in HB12. OFCC fought them every step of the way, but liberal Republican Senators bowed under pressure, fearing a Taft veto would damage "party solidarity". Many concealed handgun license applicants are now coming to grips with just how invasive that FOP effort was.

In 2003, the FOP was front and center in the fight, and successfully defeated HB274. In 2004, the FOP labor union fought the same battle, but from a much less public platform. But make no mistake, the Ohio FOP wants your rights stripped as bare as possible, and this story illustrates that fact.

April 8, 2004
NewsNet5.com

'No Guns Allowed' Kit Keeps Concealed Weapons Off Property

The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police teamed up with a marketing firm to develop a kit for businesses and individuals who don't want guns brought onto their property.

Under the concealed carry law that went into effect Thursday, signs must be posted in order for people to exercise their right to not allow permit holders to carry concealed weapons on their property.

So the Ohio FOP joined up with Ohio firm JMS Marketing and developed the "No Guns Allowed" kit.

The kit includes a laminated sign, stickers, instructions on how to display them, and a "frequently-asked-questions" on the new law.

"We know there is considerable confusion about the new law," said Mary Anne Sharkey, of JMS Marketing. "We believe this kit … will make it easier for individuals and business owners to exercise their right to keep guns off their premises."

The kit costs about $30, including shipping. Check out www.Ohiogunlaw.net to get more information about the kit and how to order.

Related Stories:
National F.O.P. President says CCW saves lives

Ohio FOP Funds Solicitation & My Reply

Gannett News Service: FOP police labor union speaks

As more and more city bureaucrats "wake up" to the fact that Section 9 prohibits them from creating new victim zones, and preempts the existence of old ones, what was once a whine has grown into a full-blown howl.

In what has become an all too common tactic, the gun ban lobby is once again encouraging law-breaking when their efforts to pass gun control laws or prevent self-defense laws fail.

By contrast, in all the years of debate over passage of concealed carry reform did self-defense rights groups have NEVER recommended that gun owners break the law. Instead, we worked to change the law.

In their time of desperation, it is clear that these extremists will stoop to any level - even to heralding government officials who knowingly, willingly break the law and violate their oath of office.

Brady Bunch's Proud Headline: Ohio Mayors Look to Prohibit Firearms, Despite State Law

According to the Columbus Dispatch,
Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro has said his take on it is that the prohibition applies only indoors on government land.

Letters to Section 9 violators from OFCC's legal counsel are still going out, and further action will be taken with any entities that continue to violate the law, even after they can no longer claim ignorance.

Media coverage:
Section 9 update: City of Columbus recognizes duty to comply

Gun law imperils parkgoers, mayor says

Fremont mayor wants to prohibit firearms in public areas

Concealed carry: Day 1 -- Sheriff Wilson pleased; state mayors worry

Mayors cite flaw with gun law

Guns On TARTA

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

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

To view the list of Section 9 violators, click here and look under "Taxpayer-funded entities".