The Toledo Blade is reporting that Toledo police held a ceremony this week to honor 19 citizens for acts that helped police solve numerous crimes in 2004. Conspicuously missing, however, is an award for a man who helped police solve crimes by using his legally carried firearm.

From the story:

"Help me," the 12-year-old girl mouthed to John Neal through the window of a car driving away from his West Toledo business.

The 51-year-old, who saw suspicious activity earlier with the car, called 911 and gave a description of the vehicle and its license plate.

His information and details later provided by the girl and her 12-year-old friend, both of whom had been kidnapped by the driver, helped police release specifics about the car and the suspect.

That's where Bob Carney came in. The South Toledoan was watching the news when he saw the story about the girls, who were taken from the Miracle Mile shopping center Oct. 30 and sexually assaulted.

He wondered whether a car that had been in his neighborhood for about two months was the one involved, so he called 911.

Police later arrested the suspect, Daniel Cole, a registered sex offender in Georgia.

"I didn't realize how much I had done until I was told I possibly saved the girl's life," Mr. Neal said.

Mr. Carney insisted that he "didn't do anything special."

"I didn't do anything the normal person wouldn't do," the 63-year-old retired beer salesman said.

Toledo police disagree. They believe the two men, as well as 17 other citizens, should be recognized for their acts - such as chasing purse-snatchers and following bank robbers - that helped police solve numerous crimes.

The citizens and several Toledo police officers will be honored today during a 9 a.m. awards ceremony in Toledo City Council Chambers at Government Center, downtown.

After giving more details on the ceremony, the story goes on to list the other award-recipients.

Certainly many of these acts were carried out by people who have truly decided to refuse to be victims, and they deserve to be honored. But as we read this story, we couldn’t help but wonder why no award for Habib Howard??

Readers of the Blade, of this website, or of the NRA’s First Freedom magazine, as well as listeners of NRANews.com, will no doubt recall the story of a man who was able to defend himself during a store robbery in Toledo just days after obtaining his Ohio CHL. Why no award for Habib Howard? Could Police Chief Mike Navarre's strong opposition to citizens’ self-defense rights have played a role in Howard being overlooked?

In a June 2004 story about how carry-out owners were arming themselves after a year or more stretch of violent robberies in Toledo, "Toledo's police Chief Mike Navarre said he teaches small business owners not to have a gun." Instead, the story said, Navarre "wants owners to comply with criminals because anytime you have more guns in a tense situation, the better the chance of people getting shot and it's just not worth it."

So what are store owners like Habib Howard supposed to do if they are shot at, like Howard was about to be? Navarre offered his opinion on the subject in January 2004:

Asked what they should do if bullets are flying, the chief said, "Take immediate cover - get away from the bullets." He added: "Pick up a baseball bat if that’s your only defense against bullets coming toward you."

Given Chief Navarre’s blatant opposition to the human right of self-defense when it comes to the use of firearms, is it any wonder why Habib Howard’s own act to help solve a crime went unrecognized by Toledo police this week?

As OFCC first reported on Monday, the posting of "no-guns" signs at Ohio Best Buy stores has been confusing from the start. From store managers who offered opposing excuses, to the appearance that the retail chain had been mislead by national office materials company g.Neil via the labor law "compliance kits" the company sells to Ohio businesses, there has been no clear sense of who ordered the signs posted, or why.

The muddy waters seemed to clear a bit early this week, when an OFCC supporter shared an email he received from a Best Buy customer service rep after emailing about his concerns. The rep said that "Best Buy does have a corporate policy to ban the carrying of concealed weapons into stores where the law allows." However, within hours of posting this letter on our website, other supporters across the nation contacted OFCC to say that although "the law allows", there are no signs were to be found at Best Buy stores in their states.

Par for the course, another Best Buy CSR has sent out an apparently conflicting message, which has been forwarded to OFCC, and which indicates that firearms are not just banned in states where sign-posting is allowed, but in every location.

XXXXXX,

Thank you for contacting Best Buy about our firearm policy. I'm TJ with
Customer Care.

We appreciate your concern about our policy regarding firearms in our
stores. Firearms are not allowed in any of our retail stores. We value
receiving your comments so we may use this feedback to improve the shopping
and service experience for all our customers.

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,
TJ and the Customer Care Team

After reading our first report on the Best Buy “no-guns” fiasco, OFCC-supporter Mark emailed as follows:

I just finished reading the email that was posted from Best Buy in Mentor regarding a "corporate" no CCW policy in those states that allow. To be honest with you, after my recent experiences with Best Buy, that would be the last store that I would ever shop at. In fact, the OAG Jim Petro filed a class action lawsuit against Best Buy in August 2004 for their deceptive policies, false advertising, rebate policies, service (or in MY case lack of) service plans and failing to respond to customer complaints. Just search in Google with the keywords, Ohio, Best Buy and Attorney General for details. Just another example of how Best Buy is doing everything they can to help close their own doors.

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

Contact Best Buy Online
www.bestbuy.com

Cleveland’s NewsChannel5 is reporting that Cleveland council members are waging a new campaign to stop gun violence, and it appears as though they are prepared to walk down the same tried and true (and failed) path of efforts that have been occurring for years.

From the story:

Many Cleveland residents are afraid and concerned about the increasing gun violence in their neighborhoods.

At a public safety committee hearing, police Chief Michael McGrath was grilled on what the department is doing to track the source of weapons that end up in so many crimes involving kids.

"I do know that if somebody is robbed and if we can identify the suspects and also identify where the weapons came from, that is something we follow up immediately," said McGrath.

The committee wants a zero-tolerance policy on kids committing crimes with guns.

But in a state where it's legal to carry concealed weapons, Council President Frank Jackson admits there is only so much they can do.

"It very much limits our ability to prohibit handguns in the city of Cleveland and it greatly increases the likelihood of children being able to gain access to guns and do harm," said Jackson.

The committee is planning to hold another hearing and will debate a new strategy aimed at reducing the number of guns in the community.

After a recent spate of violence in Philadelphia, that city’s mayor decided to target law-abiding, licensed concealed handgun carriers instead of focusing his efforts where they would matter – on the criminals perpetrating these heinous crimes. Judging by Council President Jackson’s comments, the City of Cleveland appears to share the same faulty mindset.

We are not aware of one single case in which an Ohio CHL-holders’ firearm was obtained by a child and used to harm another. Frank Jackson has absolutely NO reason to blame OhioCCW for the problems in his city.

Perhaps instead, Jackson should acknowledge that the multitude of gun control laws already in place in his city have failed in their promise to protect the children, and call for mandatory firearms education training in Cleveland City Schools, such as the NRA’s Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program. The state of Ohio has even set aside funding for such eduction, which we guarantee would prove to be MUCH more meaningful than one more gun control law, based on one more empty promise.

Related Stories:
Letter to the Editor: Frank Jackson can't have it both ways

Ohio Funds Eddie Eagle GunSafe® Program in Schools for Second Year

With every new victim who is attacked in their car comes a fresh reminder of just how horribly irresponsible was the advice of Ohio State Highway Patrol Capt. John Born in 2003 when explaining why the OSHP claimed people didn’t need to carry a firearm in their motor vehicle:

As the following victims found out, driving off isn’t always an option, and when all else fails, being defenseless equals getting Borned.

Dayton Police: Carjacking Ends In Gunfire
A carjacking in Dayton Monday morning ended in gunfire, according to police. It happened around 11:30 a.m. at the Whitmore Apartment complex on Midway Avenue. Authorities said the carjackers apparently shot a man in the arm and fled the scene in the victim's car. A neighbor said she believes two or three men targeted the victim and followed him to the apartment complex. The neighbor said the carjackers took off with the man's car, his gold necklace, and $10, and left him bleeding in the parking lot. Medics arrived at the scene and took the man to a local hospital for treatment. Police are searching for two cars - a gold Dodge Intrepid that the carjackers were driving and the victim's burgundy four-door Ford Taurus.

Toledo woman robbed of purse in Meijer parking lot
A local woman was robbed of her purse while loading groceries into her car Monday in the parking lot of the Meijer store on East Wooster Street. Police said the 57-year-old woman was loading her purchases about 1:30 p.m. when a man drove up next to her, displayed a small silver handgun, and demanded her purse. She gave him her purse, and he and a female passenger drove off westbound from the parking lot. Police said the purse was recovered at the rest area along I-75 south of Bowling Green, but no arrests have been made. The robber was described as white, in his mid to late 20s with brown hair, blue eyes, and a slender build. The woman with him was white with dark brown hair pulled back in a bun or ponytail. The car used in the robbery was a white, four-door, late 1980s to 1990s Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with stickers in the rear window and no wheel covers.

Pair Steals Car, Robs Couple At Gunpoint, Cincinnati Police Say
Two men allegedly robbed a car in Clifton and terrorized a couple in Oakley before they were captured overnight, News 5's Amy Wagner reported.Police said the pair robbed a couple at gunpoint on Michigan Avenue. They took a woman's purse and cash and forced her to show her breasts, Wagner reported. Police arrested them on Madison Road, Wagner reported. The couple was too shook up to go on camera but they said they were not hurt, and police recovered all of the stolen property, Wagner reported.

Cincinnati Carjacking Suspect Caught On Video
A school teacher got the scare of her life when a young man threatened to kill her and stole her red Jeep Cherokee from a gas station in Westwood, News 5's Courtis Fuller reported. The Cherokee was found several hours later abandoned on a Price Hill street. The suspect, caught on surveillance video, has not been identified and is still on the loose. The carjacking took place just after 7 a.m. Friday at the United Dairy Farmers at Queen City and Boudinot avenues.

The woman and her husband had just moved from Northern Kentucky to Cincinnati because they feared increasing crime in their neighborhood, the woman's husband said.

The woman's husband, Christopher Bracke, described what happened:

"She took the gas cap out and started to put her credit card in and this young fellow walks up to her and he says, 'I'm going to kill you and I'm going to take your car.' "She didn't think she heard right and she kind of turned around and he said, 'Hey, did you hear me? I'm going to kill you and I'm going to take your car.'" The man got in the Cherokee and drove off.

The only substitute for being solely at the mercy of criminals is to obtain an Ohio CHL and lots of tactical training. Everyone has a choice between getting Borned or be prepared. Being prepared means bearing arms for self-defense, avoiding dangerous victims zones like United Dairy Farmers, etc. It's your choice, and you'll have to live (or die) with the consequences of the path you take.

Police Suspect String Of UC Robberies Related
Ohio law bans firearms on college campuses, preventing students their right to self-defense
Two suspects are in police custody in connection with a robbery on the University of Cincinnati's Clifton campus. Both Cincinnati and UC campus police are trying to determine whether a string of robberies near the campus are related. Police say on Tuesday morning a woman was robbed by Solomon Burson, the suspect, in Sander parking lot on the east side of the campus. Along with a 17-year-old accomplice, police say Burson attacked her and took her bag. Similar attacks have happened near Dyer Hall and the former Hardees restaurant site. Police are investigating whether Burson is linked to those attacks. Students receive e-mail alerts after campus crimes are reported and the situation is making many people nervous. "This week especially we've had three e-mails sent out to us," said Amanda Goldsmith, a freshman at UC, "it's kind of disturbing because we're out late at night. We're always walking -- you kinda know that you cannot be by yourself."

Purse-snatching at “no-guns” BG Market
BG Market has posted “no-guns” signs, letting criminals know their customers are unable to defend themselves, and thus are safe to rob.
[A]suspect was arrested and charged with snatching a woman's purse at BG Market on Thursday. New Boston Police will be filing charges on Monday at Portsmouth Municipal Court against Christopher Erks, 25, for the charge of complicity to robbery. A co-defendant, Clayton Pate, aka Clayton Payton, 22, of Portsmouth was arrested Thursday evening and charged with robbery in the same incident involving a 59-year-old Portsmouth woman. He was charged with second-degree felony robbery. Police Chief Goins said that around 9:20 a.m. on Thursday, the woman was sitting in the patio area in front of BG Market when a man grabbed her purse and ran to a waiting car. Both Pate and Scott are in the Scioto County Jail. Police are still seeking a third suspect.