April 8 is the day that Ohioans who want to take advantage of the new concealed weapons law can begin to apply for a permit to carry a hidden gun. Sheriffs are trying to get the word out about what the process will look like. Statehouse correspondent Bill Cohen reports.

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Ohio's media outlets are continuing to provide extensive coverage of the pending implementation of Ohio's new concealed carry reform law.

As you read about the many thousands of applicants, keep in mind all the old claims from the gun control lobby that there was very little interest among Ohioans for concealed carry.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for a long list of links to Ohio media coverage.

Columbus Dispatch
April 2, 2004

Attorney General Jim Petro speculated yesterday that 100,000 Ohioans will apply for permits to carry concealed handguns in the first six months after the new law takes effect Thursday, and that 95 percent will qualify.

Petro, saying he could be off by 15 percent either way, made his guess at a news conference attended by six county sheriffs among the 88 assigned to issue permits to eligible Ohioans 21 or older.

"We really want to see a very safe and effective permitting process," said the attorney general, whose office interpreted the new conceal-carry law, wrote and furnished informational material and will oversee databases on Ohioans with criminal records and mental instability.

"We’re going to assist the sheriffs in every way we can," Petro said.

In Franklin County, Sheriff Jim Karnes said his office will be taking applications only by appointment 9-11 a.m. and 1-3 p.m. Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.

However, Karnes said the office "probably" will accept applications Thursday, when the law takes effect.

Gerard Valentino, central Ohio coordinator for Ohioans for Concealed Carry, said the law requires sheriffs to accept applications starting Thursday. He said that for a county of more than 1 million residents, Franklin should devote more resources to receiving the applications.

But generally, Valentino is satisfied with preparations.

Sheriffs brace for gun applicants
Dayton Daily News
April 2, 2004

COLUMBUS | As many as 100,000 Ohioans are expected to apply for licenses to carry concealed handguns in the six months after the state's concealed-carry law takes effect next Thursday, Attorney General Jim Petro said.

Petro on Thursday said he expects 95 percent of those who apply to qualify. His office prepared the pamphlet applicants must read before applying for licenses.

Under the law, sheriffs in Ohio's 88 counties will issue licenses to those 21 or older who meet certain requirements, including 12 hours of training. Applicants also must pass background checks and pay a $45 fee. Licenses will be good for four years and can be renewed.

Applicants can be disqualified for reasons including specified criminal convictions, mental incompetence and being subject to a protection order for domestic violence.

If an applicant meets the qualifications, the sheriff must issue the license within 45 days of receiving the application.

Sheriff's officials in the Miami Valley said they're getting ready for a flood of applications and are hoping for the best. Montgomery County Sheriff Dave Vore said his office is on track to be ready by Thursday.

Vore said he does not anticipate any problems.

"We're just hoping for the best and trying to prepare," he said. Montgomery County applicants should report to the front window of the sheriff's new offices at 345 W. Second St., across from the jail, Vore said.

Greene County sheriff's Lt. Melissa Litteral said the county is ready, but she hopes people will "bear with us."

"We anticipate a high volume of applications," Litteral said.

Litteral said that sheriffs in some counties may set up appointments for applicants, but that Greene County Sheriff Gene Fischer, like Vore, has decided not to take that approach, at least at the beginning. Litteral said Fischer is committed to getting the applications processed on time.

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