by Chad D. Baus

For the second time in as many months, a liberal national media entity has patted the Cleveland Plain Dealer on the back for its anti-concealed carry coverage in Ohio.

In April, ultra-liberal Cleveland Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz was awarded a Pulitzer Prize for commentary that, among other things, bashed Ohio CHL-holders in 2004 as "Dirty Harry wannabe's".

Yesterday, the Associated Press Society of Ohio announced that The Plain Dealer won the First Amendment Award “for outstanding accomplishment in pursuing freedom of information on behalf of the public for its reporting on Ohio's concealed gun permits law.”

Several weeks ago, Ohioans For Concealed Carry began receiving reports of new “no-guns” signs appearing at Best Buy locations in Ohio. Initially, it appeared this may have been a result of store managers having been mislead by out-of-state companies who are peddling “compliance kits” that contain “no-guns” signs, and falsely claiming that state law requires them to be posted. In fact, in at least one Best Buy store, the sign that is posted was obtained from one of these companies, G-Neil.

As additional reports of these postings came I, we educated those making the reports about how these out-of-state companies have been falsely claiming signs are required, and encouraged them to contact Best Buy’s corporate headquarters in Minnesota about the issue.

Unfortunately, it now appears that Best Buy has joined the list of business ban hypocrites - corporations whose policy seems to suggest that they believe Ohioans are less likely to be responsible with concealed firearms than their customers in other states.

From: cr@bestbuy.com
Subject: RE: BestBuy.com contact us information - General Questions
Date: 10 May 2005 14:48:20 -0500

Thank you for contacting Best Buy about our Mentor store. I'm Eric with Customer Care.

We're sorry to hear about your disappointment in not being able to carry a concealed weapon into the store. Best Buy does have a corporate policy to ban the carrying of concealed weapons into stores where the law allows.

Thank you for sharing your comments with Best Buy. Please don't hesitate to contact us with additional questions or concerns.

Best wishes from Best Buy,

Eric and the Customer Care Team

OFCC can report that Best Buy stores are NOT posted in Tennessee, although the law does provide that option for private businesses. We are currently double-checking in Indiana and elsewhere, but clearly it appears Best Buy has chosen to discriminate against their Buckeye customers in a way that they do not do to Volunteers or Hoosiers.

UPDATE: Readers from Arkansas, Florida, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia have confirmed that signs are not posted in Best Buy outlets in those states, just as they are not posted in Tennessee. Why is Best Buy discriminating against Ohioans in this offensive manner?

Contact Best Buy by Phone
1-888-BEST BUY (1-888-237-8289)

Contact Best Buy Online
www.bestbuy.com

The Ironton Tribune is reporting that funding problems are prompting a reduction of law enforcement officers in Lawrence County.

From the story:

Lawrence County law enforcement officers may not be extinct yet, but they might be considered an endangered species.
The ranks of law enforcement officers in Lawrence County these days are thinning.

The entire police department in Athalia was disbanded late last week. South Point and Proctorville have both laid off some of their police officers this year.

While Ironton has not laid off any officers, police chief Bill Garland said his department is woefully understaffed.

The same can be said of Lawrence County Sheriff Tim Sexton, who is must find a way to save his staff from ruin in September, when his budget's salary line item runs out of money.

The newspaper goes on to say that while the county may growing short on law enforcement officers, there is certainly NO shortage of problems.needing their attention.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

The Mansfield News Journal is reporting that law enforcement officers recently engaged in a mock assault on a local high school in a drill designed to help prepare for the eventuality of a school shooting.

From the story:

Police Officers Brian Evans, Doug Noblet, Ken Carroll and Perry Wheeler stalked down a Mansfield Senior High School hallway, brandishing guns and crouching low, waiting for an unseen threat.

Their target Thursday night was an armed "suspect" who had shot students and perhaps taken hostages.

The effort this time was just a training exercise. But to the law enforcement officers involved, it was valuable experience should such a nightmare scenario actually unfold.

"It's been exhausting, but very useful," Lexington police officer Don Copp said. "It's not only beneficial for working together with officers from other departments, but it also gets me into a high school I've not been in yet."

It also prepared officers in a new tactic aimed at locating and "neutralizing" the armed threat instead of simply "containing" the situation until SWAT officers or other tactical units arrive on the scene.

Titled Quick Action Deployment (QUAD), the techniques were developed based on lessons learned from nearly 30 incidents since 1996 which resulted and deaths and injuries, according to Mansfield police Chief Phil Messer.

"In some cases, law enforcement must respond to immediately save lives and reduce the number of casualties and potential hostages," Messer said.

What officials never say, however, is that no matter how prepared, no matter how responsive, they can never be as responsive in a situation like this as could trained, licensed and armed teachers and other school officials who are there when an attack begins. As we have seen all too many times in this country, in the minutes that it takes for police to respond when a call finally comes, people will die.