ChannelCincinnati.com is reporting that Ohio gubernatorial-hopeful Betty Montgomery, who opposes Ohioans' right to bear arms for self-defense, has picked up an endorsement from another person with a checkered past when it comes to concealed carry issues.

According to the report, Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis has given his support to Ohio Auditor of State Betty Montgomery. Additionally, Leis has been selected to run Montgomery's campaign for governor in Hamilton County.

Concealed-carry advocates will recall that it was Sheriff Leis who was the target of a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Ohio's 150-year-old concealed carry ban.

Since passage of the law recognizing the right of citizens to bear arms for self-defense, Leis and a few other urban sheriffs have made news by enforcing restrictive appointment procedures for CHL applicants, which have resulted in a reduction in the numbers of licensees in these counties. Leis also recently told county commissioners he was "totally opposed" to having secret shoppers check his office for quality of service.

Is your pro-concealed carry sheriff supporting Betty Montgomery? If you care about your self-defense rights, you'll find out, and if they are, ask them why!

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The Toledo Blade is reporting* that a Toledo-area man is planning to test the city's ban on firearms in parks by hosting a gathering at Toledo's Ottawa Park to celebrate the first anniversary party of Ohio's concealed-carry law at noon April 9, while carrying his 45-caliber semi-automatic handgun in violation of the city's ban on guns in its parks.

From the story:

April 8 marks the first anniversary of Ohio's concealed-carry law, and [Bruce] Beatty is hoping for a legal show-down. Under the law, Ohio sheriffs shall issue permits to qualifying citizens who wish to carry a concealed firearm.

Since the law passed, several cities, including Toledo, have issued orders or passed ordinances restricting guns on public properties, such as parks. Private employers have the right under the law to restrict guns on their premises by posting signs notifying employees and the public.

But a spokesman for Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro's office last year said such local policies appear to be in conflict with the state's concealed-carry law and therefore were not valid. In fact, some cities have rescinded their orders restricting guns in public areas.

The story goes on to say that the City is contemplating ways to stop Beatty's event. One suggestion raised is to deny a permit to gather at the park.

Again, from the story:

Mr. Beatty, who has ordered a sheet cake in the shape of a 45-caliber handgun, said he's not daunted because he believes he has Ohio law on his side.

"Bottom line is this: I'm starting to take it extremely personally that politicians and bureaucrats keep comparing law-abiding, tax-paying, good citizens to criminals," he said. "I'm tired of being slandered over the issue."

*WARNING - this Toledo Blade story contains a factual error. In her story, reporter Robin Erb states that Attorney General Jim Petro is backing the City of Clyde in a lawsuit brought by Ohioans For Concealed Carry.

OFCC has sent a request for a retraction to Ms. Erb. Additionally, Attorney General Petro's spokesperson, Kim Norris, has told OFCC today that she has also contacted Ms. Erb to ask for an immediate correction to be made.

UPDATE: The Toledo Blade has corrected its online story, and has confirmed with OFCC that a correction will be published in tomorrow's print edition.

March 29, 2005
Columbus Dispatch

It’s only a matter of time before we hear anti-gun pundits thumping their chests over the second-grader who found a handgun and brought it to school.

Instead of answers to the problem, they’ll use this incident to further their agenda to ban more guns, as if that is prevention. What we need is statewide prevention through mandatory education.

We will never be able to guarantee that a child will never find a firearm, as in this case. What is important is the fact that at least three children saw the firearm and not one of them did anything to prevent this tragedy, likely because they didn’t know better.

Ohio’s lawmakers approved funding for schools to offer the National Rifle Association’s Eddie Eagle Program to kids of this age. The program should be implemented immediately as mandatory education statewide. The program never shows a firearm or pushes firearm ownership. It teaches children who find a firearm a very simple mantra: STOP! Don’t touch. Leave the area. Tell an adult. We teach children to stop, drop and roll if they catch on fire, so why not this? The Eddie Eagle program has been adopted by other states as mandated statewide education, and it should be in Ohio, too. As the antigun pundits would say: If it saves just one child...

Jeff Garvas
President, Ohioans For Concealed Carry
Macedonia

March 26, 2005
Salt Lake Tribune

By W. Clark Aposhian

We at Utah Self-Defense Instructors' Network (US-DIN) are deeply saddened at the senseless loss of life that occurred last week at Red Lake High School in Minnesota.

This situation, like other recent mass shootings, is frustrating to us in that we believe they are largely preventable.

This is yet another shooting in another place ignorantly perceived as safe because of signs and policies that prohibit weapons. Yet these places take little, if any, affirmative action to ensure safety, let alone allowing for lawful self-defense. They pay lip service to security procedures and personnel and place "feel good" signs restricting weapons.

These "victim disarmament zones" are actually worse than doing nothing as they take the attention off the real problems. They further a sense of complacency with respect to security. Ignorantly we assume a sign stating "No Guns Allowed" will protect us.

I look forward to an enlivening and enlarging of the debate regarding firearms in schools. US-DIN has never been more committed to maintaining the ability for lawful concealed carry in Utah's schools and elsewhere.

Utah, as one of few states that allow concealed carry in schools, is watched carefully as a "laboratory" of sorts for concealed carry in these environments. Concealed weapons have been allowed in schools since 1995 that has been recently re-enforced with legislation. We have also resisted efforts that would have mitigated lawful self-defense in schools and churches.

Click here to read Mr. Aposhian's entire column in the Salt Lake Tribune.