Date: Wed Jan 05 09:16:18 2005
From: S. H.
Subject: Firearm Stolen

I'm from Cleveland, and am a law-abiding CHL holder. As such, I had to leave my firearm in my truck when I went into a local bowling alley on 12-28.

Someone broke into my truck in the
parking lot and stole my radio as well as broke in my locked glove box and took my firearm.

Now, thanks to the law which says I couldn't bring my gun in due to the fact
that they serve liquor, a criminal has my firearm.

This law needs to be changed.

Related Stories:
OSHP's car carry language contributes to increased potential for firearms theft

Business' CCW bans contribute to increased potential for firearms theft

WBNS10TV.com is reporting an off-duty Columbus police officer fired at a fleeing robber outside a "no-guns" Fifth Third bank Tuesday. The suspect was not hit, and was later apprehended.

Fifth Third posts "no guns" signs, but despite a prior conviction for armed robbery, the robber wasn't shy about entering. According to the Columbus Dispatch, the branch at 809 S. High St. has been robbed at least five times in the past four years.

In Cincinnati, WCPO.com (9News) is reporting on another armed robbery at a "no guns" bank. Police say a man entered the Cincinnati Federal Savings and Loan at 6400 Salem Road in Hamilton County, displayed a silver handgun, and demanded cash. Once he got it, police say the suspect ordered the two female employees to lie on the floor, and fled the bank.

OFCC has learned one of the tellers had a "No guns - No money" card lying on her counter:

----- Original Message -----
From: [Name Redacted Per Request]
Sent: Tuesday, January 04, 2005 6:51 PM
Subject: Cincinnati Federal Savings & Loan- Warned prior to robbery about No-Gun
Sign...

I'm a member of OFCC and I personally have informed my bank,
Cincinnati Federal Savings & Loan, about the dangers of posting a 'No-Gun' Sign
on their doors.

Cincinnati Federal Savings & Loan at 6400 Salem Road in Anderson Twp./Hamilton
County was robbed today by a White Male subject, 35-45 yrs., 180-200# wearing a
Light Brown mid-length work-style jacket- blue jeans and a blue baseball cap
with a white emblem.

The suspect displayed a silver colored handgun and demanded cash from the teller, then fled in an unknown direction.

I spoke to a teller today from Cincinnati Federal S&L and she still had on her
counter area the 'No Guns - No Money' card and a page about another local
Anderson Bank that was recently robbed with the signs on their doors as well.

If education isn't enough for businesses to realize the dangers associated
with POSTING No-Gun Signs then reality will be their tough teacher.

[Name Redacted Per Request]
Cincinnati, Ohio

For contact information for these and other dangerous locations, visit OFCC's Do Not Patronize While Armed database.

Related Stories:
''Rob Me'' signs work wonders: Two more ''no guns'' banks hit at year-end

FBI: More bank robbers used guns in their crimes last year

FBI: Ohio bank heists with violent component on the rise

The Mansfield News Journal is reporting that Cassandra Williams 31, claims her ex-boyfriend, Vincent Smith, threatened to kill her on Christmas. But the woman told the newspaper it took three calls to the Mansfield Police Department before an officer was sent.

"I called the police. He (dispatcher) said 'we're only handling emergencies,'" Williams was quoted as saying. "He said if it can wait (to) wait until Monday (Dec. 27)."

Williams told the News Journal she first called police around 8 a.m. after Smith, 33, of 895 King St. allegedly made threats over the phone. She called back less than an hour later and said she got the same response from the dispatcher.

"He (Smith) was threatening my life," Williams told the paper. "What was I supposed to do?"

The News Journal reports Williams said Smith knocked on her door around 10:30 a.m. When she called police again, the dispatcher reportedly told her she would go to jail if police responded and Smith wasn't there.

Williams told the newspaper she opened the door to her apartment to let the dispatcher know Smith was really there.

"I did not have to open the door," she said. "It did not have to go that far."

By the time police arrived, the newspaper says, Smith had left. Police found him nearby and charged him with domestic violence. They also arrested him on a warrant for failure to appear to pay a fine.

Click here to read the entire story in the Mansfield News Journal.

Two recent accounts in Ohio newspapers highlight the absurdity of gun controllers' logic which suggests that guns are any more inherently evil than other inanimate objects.

Akron: Police say car nearly runs over officer
An Akron police officer just missed being run over after a woman sped toward his cruiser over the weekend, police said. Police said officer Joseph Sidoti was standing outside of a cruiser with the door still open when 50-year-old Beverly Johnson sped toward him. Johnson is charged with assault on a police officer and willful fleeing. Police said she fled the scene and committed numerous traffic violations before pulling over and surrendering.

Newark: "No contact" order violated by driver
A resident of the 200 block of West Church Street told police he was
crossing Church Street around noon Sunday and was nearly struck by someone
with a car. The driver and the victim were not to have contact with each
other because of an ongoing investigation.

Cars are often used as deadly weapons, and licensees get their privileges revoked at a HUGE rate compared to people with Ohio Concealed Handgun Licenses (CHLs).

48 CHLs, or 0.12%, have been suspended in the first six months of the new law. OFCC has learned that several of these suspensions have since been reinstated after non-firearms-related charges against the license-holder were dropped.

By comparison, 7.00% of drivers' licenses in the State of Ohio were suspended in 2003!

If the gun controllers are truly all about promoting safety, why don't they spend their time where it can REALLY make an impact? Why is there no Ohio Coalition Against Car Violence, or Americans For Sensible Car Control Laws?

January 4, 2005
Dayton Daily News

Police say two young men in their teens or early 20s stole a 1998 Ford Expedition at gunpoint in the parking lot of Kroger, 1555 Wayne Ave., at 10:10 p.m. Monday night.

The vehicle, a green Eddie Bauer edition with Colorado license plates, was last seen on Siebenthaler Avenue heading west. The woman driver was punched twice in the face during the robbery and received minor injuries. The robbers had thin builds and wore black puffy coats, police said.

Commentary:
In the absence of "no guns" signs, not everyone will chose to go armed (or have the option to, in the case of this visitor from Colorado). Furthermore, not every place that takes down its signs (such as this particular Kroger) will make customers 100% safe from attack.

But customers deserve the choice of self-protection, and in the absence of "no guns" signs, the responsibility for self-protection lies on the individual.

Despite a corporate order to remove "no guns" signs, OFCC supporters report the following Kroger stores in Ohio are still posted with "no guns" warnings, and are thus actively denying the right of self-protection to their customers:

Kroger, Marietta
Kroger, Marion
Kroger, Mason
Kroger, Proctorville
Kroger, Bechtel Ave., Springfield
Kroger, N. Limestone Rd., Springfield

For contact information for these and other dangerous locations, visit OFCC's Do Not Patronize While Armed database.