Ohio businesses who chose to deny CHL-holders their Constitutional right to bear arms for self-defense would do well to keep in mind the growing number of victims' families who are deciding that the responsibility for security rests on the business. If Ohio businesses won't allow Ohioans their right to defend themselves, who else but the business should be held responsible?

February 21, 2005
Washington Times

In Hollywood, outlaws are either gunned down by lawmen, like Gary Cooper's character in "High Noon," or are portrayed as anti-heroes, like Robert Redford and Paul Newman's characters in "Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid." But in the real world, the bad guys are truly wicked, say brothers John and Robert Waters, and the sheriff isn't always around to stop them. In fact, some of the most notorious outlaws in history were killed or captured by ordinary citizens.

"You see all these movies and stuff about the heroic sheriff who runs the outlaws out of town, but you don't see a lot about the ordinary citizen defending themselves in their towns," said Robert Waters. "I wondered what really happened, so I began researching it and found in American history there were numerous accounts of [such] stories. I thought it was important [to tell them] because they had not been told."

In their new book, "Outgunned: True Stories of Citizens Who Stood Up to Outlaws and Won," the Waters brothers collected accounts of ordinary people taking down the bad men.

Click here to read the entire story in the Washington Times.

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February 22, 2005
The Black Hills (SD) Pioneer

By Dan Carlson

The rifle sat firmly in place on the bench rest last Saturday. A small group gathered behind the rifleman as his cheek rested in the stock and his keen eye peered through the scope. "It needs to move a little that way," he said gesturing a thumb to the left. An adjustment was made and he announced that the sight picture was good. He took the shot, and then nine more
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before making sure the gun was empty and moving downrange to inspect the target some 30 yards away. Five of the ten shots were grouped tightly in or just next to the one-inch bull's-eye, and the others weren't more than an inch or two away. A broad smile showed his satisfaction and then he exchanged high-fives with his instructor...me.

My 4-year-old son then turned the Ruger 10/22 over to his 7-year-old sister, and she shot an almost identical group. It was their first attempt at shooting a rifle, and their enthusiasm suggests there will be many more outings like it.

Click here for the entire op-ed, from The Black Hills (SD) Pioneer Press.

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Children with guns: the answer is Education

Dallas-Ft. Worth's WFAA.com is reporting that a bill that would protect the identities of Texans who carry concealed handguns easily passed the House Law Enforcement Committee on last week.

According to the story, the bill would block requests from the public to learn whether an individual has a concealed-gun license. Law enforcement officials would still be able to access the records.

From the story:

The bill by Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, R-Lampasas, a staunch gun-rights backer and privacy advocate, has the support of an unlikely alliance: gun-rights groups and family-violence organizations that tend to push for gun control.

Ms. Hupp and her backers say the current system, in place for a decade, can help criminals plot their attacks and endangers people who don't have permits because someone can figure out that they're not protected.

"Rapists and stalkers have the ability to gain inside information that the woman has a way to defend herself," said Rep. Joe Driver, R-Garland, chairman of the panel.

Will Ohio representatives also follow through on promises to protect the identities of Ohioans, in the wake of severe (and predicted) abuses by Ohio media outlets? To find out, write your elected officials now!

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"A DAUGHTER'S REGRET (SUZANNA HUPP)"

The Washington Post is reporting that Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the National Rifle Association of America, used the Conservative Political Actions Conference as a forum to harshly criticize U.N. efforts to reduce the amount of small arms in the hand of civilians.

According to the Post, LaPierre accused the United Nations of denying U.S. citizens the right to bear arms. His speech concluded, "Others here may suggest the U.S. to get out of the U.N. Right now I just want the U.N. to get out of the U.S."

From the story:

In his speech Thursday LaPierre claimed the United Nations was responsible for allowing the genocide in Rwanda and its corruption and domination by dictators. He directly linked the U.N. firearms-reduction programs to the Second Amendment of the U.S. Constitution that allows people in the United States to own guns: "If you take away the right to bear arms, all other freedoms are at risk and, in time, lost. But confiscating civilian firearms worldwide is a major mission of the U.N. right now. That's why I want the U.N. out of the U.S."

LaPierre added, "Why does the National Rifle Association care about the United Nations? Because the U.N. is out to destroy firearm freedom -- the one freedom that preserves all the others."

Reaching the peak of his speech, LaPierre said: "The U.N. is the world's wealthiest and most organized enemy of the very freedoms our nation can offer all mankind. It's time for the freedom-haters to pack up and get the hell outta freedom's last sanctuary."

Click here for the complete story from the Washington Post.