Earlier this month, Ohioans For Concealed Carry began receiving reports of "no-guns" signs being posted in United Dairy Farmers (UDF) stores in Ohio. An investigation by Business Education Coordinator Joe Eaton discovered the Ohio-based chain had just ordered signs to be posted in Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana stores.

Although it didn't take long for OFCC supporters to begin responding to the discriminatory signs, OFCC has learned that criminals in Ohio appear to have responded even more rapidly

Last week, OFCC reported that FIVE robberies had occured in one week in "no-guns" UDF stores. Today, OFCC can report that two more armed robberies occurred in a single day in Columbus.

Location: 3310 Maize Rd
City: Columbus Zone 1
Precinct 2 District 22
Occurred: 4/15/2005 10:40:00 PM
Reported By: Officer Dilello
Badge#: 1525

Report Narrative:

ON ABOVE DATE AND TIME SUSPECT ENTERED THE ABOVE LISTED LOCATION, ASKED FOR A PACK OF MARLBOROS (SOFT PACK). WHEN THE CASHIER RANG THE SALE FOR THE CIGARETTES, THE SUSPECT SHOWED HER A GUN THAT WAS TUCKED IN HIS WAIST BAND, TELLING HER TO GIVE HIM ALL THE MONEY IN THE DRAWER. THE CASHIER COMPLIED, AND THE SUSPECT FLED THE LOCATION IN A SILVER VEHICLE, POSSIBLY A HONDA ACCORD, WITH DFT AS THE FIRST THREE LETTERS ON THE TAG.

-----------------------------------------

Location: 327 E Hudson St
City: Columbus Zone 4
Precinct 4 District 43
Occurred 4/15/2005 1:11:00 AM
Reported By: Officer Dyer
Badge#: 1879

Report Narrative:

WITS #1 AND #2 (EMPLOYEES OF THE UNITED DAIRY FARMERS) STATED THEY WERE WORKING IN THE STORE WHEN SUSPECT #1 ENTERED THE STORE AND REQUESTED A MATCH. AFTER GETTING THE MATCH, THE SUSPECT WALKED TO THE END OF THE COUNTER AND WAS LOOKING AT THE CIGARETTES BEHIND THE COUNTER. THE SUSPECT THEN PULLED OUT A HANDGUN AND DEMANDED MONEY FROM THE EMPLOYEES. THE SUSPECT TOLD THE EMPLOYEES HE WAS BROKE AND "IF YOU DON'T GIVE ME THE MONEY I'LL KILL YOU!" WIT #1 BEGAN TO REMOVE CASH FROM ONE OF THE REGISTERS WHILE THE SUSPECT BEGAN TO EMPTY A SECOND REGISTER. AFTER GETTING ALL THE MONEY HE COULD THE SUSPECT ORDERED THE EMPLOYEES DOWN TO THE FLOOR AND TOLD THEM HE WOULD SHOOT THEM IF THEY STOOD UP. THE SUSPECT THEN FLED THE SCENE. ITEMS TOUCHED BY THE SUSPECT WERE SUBMITTED TO THE PROPERTY ROOM TO BE CHECKED FOR LATENT PRINTS.

Is this the type of "safety" UDF has in mind when it attempts to excuse its discriminatory behavior to concerned customers? Is UDF waiting until one of these robbers decides to kill the witnesses before recognizing the danger they are putting customers and employees in by posting these signs?

Click here to download the sign UDF might just as well be posting. (1.07 MB .pdf file)

Contact information for Ohio-based United Dairy Farmers is as follows:

United Dairy Farmers
Robert Lindner Jr., President
3955 Montgomery Rd.
Cincinnati,Ohio 45212
www.udfinc.com

Phone: 1-800-833-9911
Email: consumerrelations@udfinc.com

April 13, 2005
Collegiate Times

by Jon Laird

One of the most common defenses for owning or carrying a handgun is "It's my Second Amendment right." Although this argument appeals to the strict constructionist, it is less convincing to progressives who view the Constitution as more of a "living document," free to be interpreted as necessary for the current times apart from the explicit intentions of its founders. If gun owners are going to convince advocates of stringent gun control to ease up, they need to save the "it's my right" arguments for the courtroom and respond to gun control proponents who argue on the basis of gun violence statistics. Pro-gun laws are on a roll throughout the country, but their true impetus was changing hearts and minds, not in legalistic arguments.

Places where handgun carry is more common are better off for it. FBI statistics illustrate the fact that states allowing concealed weapon carry have much lower rates of violent crime, murder, robbery and aggravated assault than states with significant restrictions. Conversely, restricting or eliminating the right to carry inevitably causes gun-related crimes to increase. A perfect example is Australia, where the crime rate was dropping steadily for 25 years prior to 1996, when the government banned private ownership of most guns. Then, in 2000, armed robberies were up 45 percent and gun homicides in the Australian state of Victoria were up 300 percent. A law in England that mandated handgun turn-in by 1998 produced similar results; in the five years following, total gun crimes almost doubled and gun homicides increased by 65 percent.

If you think about it, it makes sense, going back to that old axiom,

"When guns are outlawed, only outlaws will have guns." Whether guns are legal or illegal, criminals always manage to get their hands on them.

Click here to read the entire column in the Collegiate Times.

The Mansfield News-Journal is reporting that a man who, after being found guilty of two fifth-degree felony counts in connection with robberies at Puffs Cigarette and Tobacco store, 855 Lexington Ave. on March 3 and was sentenced 11 months in prison, is suspected in a string of recent break-ins at area small businesses, was arrested Monday at 10:30 a.m. at 293 Superior Ave.

From the story:

"[Ryan Nichols] was given concurrent 11-month sentences and released to get his affairs in order (by Judge James Henson)," said Richland County Assistant Prosecutor Bambi Couch-Page. "He was ordered to report to the sheriff's office at 7:30 a.m. on March 7."

Nichols never reported to jail. According to detectives, he has been back at his old tricks. He is suspected of several recent burglaries, including ones at Washington Floors, the Western Shop, Richland Lumber and two service stations.

Deputies and Mansfield police have been looking for him for weeks. They didn't know if Nichols was armed Monday morning, but they didn't take chances.

"We had to go in there with our guns drawn to arrest this guy again," sheriff's Detective Bob Mack said. "It's dangerous."

He said it's also frustrating. "This guy was already convicted. He should have been in jail."br>

Dave Beach, who owns the Puffs store previously targeted by Nichols, agreed.

"They sentenced him to prison, but gave him time to get his affairs in order," Beach said. "I don't understand that. He didn't go to jail and went back to breaking into other places. What has to happen to keep these people in jail?"

The newspaper states that according to Richland County Prosecutor Bambi Couch-Page, the judgment entry in the case specified that if Nichols didn't report as ordered to begin his prison term, his sentence would be changed to consecutive one-year terms on each felony.

"We'll also file charges for failure to appear," she told the News Journal. But she said she's not sure how the agreement was reached to let Nichols out after his conviction. Henson didn't return a call for comment.

Related Story:
Justice system failures = new Ohio victims

The Newark Advocate is reporting that almost 1,300 Alltel customers in and around Gratiot were without 911 emergency phone service for about six hours on Monday.

Erin Ascione, a spokeswoman for Alltel, told the Advocate a road crew mistakenly cut a fiber line on Gratiot Road about 9:30 a.m. Monday. Customers with a 787 exchange were unable to call outside of their exchange until the line was repaired about 3:30 p.m.

From the story:

"We thought we could re-route calls back to 911 and weren't able to do that," said Jeff Walker, director of the Licking
align="right">County Homeland Security and Emergency Management Agency. "It was definitely a frustrating period of time."

The last time a similar situation occurred was last year in the St. Louisville area, Walker said.

"In discussions with Alltel, we thought it was totally solved and we found out (Monday) it wasn't," Walker said.

Officials told the newspaper customers would have received a busy signal if they had placed a 911 call.