Only police should have weapons, right? Guns don't belong in schools, right? "No-guns" signs, security guards, video cameras and metal detectors make you safe, right?

Seven victims at Minn. school shooting rampage

After reportedly stealing his grandfather's "police-issued weapons" and murdering the police officer and his female companion, a Red Lake High School student entered his "no-guns" high school Monday. He bypassed passive security measures, which included a metal detector, video cameras, and even the vaunted "no-guns" signs, all of which were installed with promises of "protection".

According to reports, the shooter killed an unarmed male security guard, before opening fire on students and teachers. An unarmed female security guard was forced to flee. Defenseless security guards, teachers and students were unable to stop him, and he finally took his own life.

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Op-ed: The False Hope of Gun-Free Zones

Few people remember the school shooting in Pearl, Mississippi that took place in October 1997. Fewer people remember how it ended. This episode came to a close when Pearl High School Assistant Principal Joel Myrick sprinted a quarter mile to retrieve a personal handgun from his car and confronted the shooter who was unwilling to continue the attack against an armed victim.

Myrick parked so far away from the school to keep from violating federal gun free zone statutes. By the time the shooting spree ended, two students lay dead and seven others were wounded. Myrick's heroic defense of the children at his school was sparsely reported, going mostly unnoticed by the establishment media who were unwilling to report that he used a gun to end the mayhem and murder. They were also unwilling to ask the hard question - how many children died while Myrick sprinted to his car?

The Los Angeles Times is reporting that recent multiple victim public shootings may be having a different effect on the public than did such incidents in the 1990's.

From the story:

On Feb. 24, a man in the middle of a child custody dispute opened fire with a knockoff AK-47 on the courthouse steps in Tyler. He killed his ex-wife, wounded his adult son and shot dead a man who tried to intervene by pulling out his own gun, a Colt .45. A few days later, Bingham told lawmakers he thought he needed protection in court. "They were very open," he said. "And responsive."

Texas judges are already permitted to carry concealed weapons in court; legislation is now being drafted to let prosecutors arm themselves as well.

Never in my life have I read an Editorial so full of malice and contempt, as to what you published March 19th, 2005.

If I want to address Congress to change the law, that is my right; for you to threaten to "expose" me to my neighbours as retaliation for legislation you don't like is tantamount to blackmail, and will not be tolerated!

This editorial is the proof of why Rep Aslandies wants the law changed. You are disseminating information to the general public which it is not entitled to have. Ohio's Sunshine Laws' are for the people to keep our Government transparent, not the release of information on private citizens.

It is amazing, in your arrogance, that some how you feel that anyone with a CCW license is a threat, and that the community must be aware of who. Why?

Neither you, nor anyone else, has the legal authority to gather the list of CCW holders and conduct any sort of background check on those people without their express consent; nor do their "neighbours" have any authority it grant permission for them to obtain or carry arms.

If you want to help the community, the publish a list of those who are proven to be a menace to society...the convicted felons, sex-offenders and drunk drivers who reside in our county! Or, are you afraid of violating their privacy rights?

So go ahead, print that list.

This being a small town, putting addresses to the names will be an easy task.

Unlike the criminal element, (who you claim won't do that), I intend to use it for lawful purposes; mainly to see if everyone will band together to fight you and your stupidity for violating our right of privacy.

Jim Ellison
Ashland, OH
Life Member, NRA
Member, OGCA
Member, OFCC

Ashland Times-Gazette Editor and General Manager Ted E. Daniels can be reached as follows:

419-281-0581 x 211
tdaniels@times-gazette.com

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Ashland Co. CHL-holders taken hostage, Ohio newspaper style

The Austin (TX) American-Statesman is http://www.statesman.com/news/content/shared/tx/legislature/stories/03/1... " target="_blank">reporting that the Texas House of Representatives on Thursday overwhelmingly passed legislation that would delete the requirement that the Texas Department of Public Safety must release the identity of a license holder to the public.

The bill's sponsor, State Rep. Suzanna Gratia Hupp, whose family was murdered by a gunman in a Luby's restaurant in Killeen more than a decade ago, said the legislation is necessary to protect the privacy of concealed handgun license holders.

From the story:

She said she's concerned that knowing a license holder's name, date of birth, gender, race and ZIP code is sufficient to locate a person's address. She said a stalker or a burglar could find out whether a potential victim has a gun.

"There's an element of surprise, concealment, that is lost," Hupp said. "When government requests private information, it shouldn't give it out."

The DPS still would provide information on license holders to other criminal justice agencies. Reporters and researchers could continue to collect statistical summaries on the 236,499 Texans who hold licenses.

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)"

Firearms Violence 200% Higher for Blacks Than For Whites

By Jim Kouri, CPP
MichNews.com
Mar 17, 2005

In spite of all the hoopla regarding gun violence in America, a study by the US Department of Justice appears to dispel claims of rising gun deaths. The government study received minimal if any mainstream media attention.

Estimates from the National Crime Victimization Survey indicate that between 1993 and 2001 approximately 26% of the average annual 8.9 million violent victimizations were committed by offenders armed with a weapon. About 10%, or 846,950 victimizations each year, involved a firearm.

* For nonfatal violent crimes, offenders were more likely to have a firearm than a knife or club. From 1993 to 2001 the rate of firearm violence fell 63%.

* Approximately half of all robberies, about a quarter of all assaults, and roughly a twelfth of all rapes/sexual assaults involved an armed assailant. About 90% of homicide victims were killed with a weapon.

* Firearm violence rates for blacks age 12 or older (8.4 per 1,000 blacks) were 40% higher than rates for Hispanics (6.0). 200% higher than rates for whites (2.8 per 1,000).

Click here for the entire report.