The Toledo Blade is reporting that the Perrysburg Police Division is planning to reduce the number of officers it assigns to teach Drug Abuse Resistance Education in the schools, known as DARE, which has some area educators and students worried about the future of the program.

From the story:

Police Chief Richard Gilts said he decided to reassign Officer Don Humphrey to road patrol full-time. Officer Humphrey had been splitting his time between the road patrol and DARE. The change will be in effect next school year.

Officer Jeff Graham will remain as the full-time DARE teacher. He has been assigned to the program for several years, and will now handle all the teaching.

"Cutting back on the program is a real loss for the students," said Barbara Jenks, principal of St. Rose Elementary School.

Although they won't have time for this program, OFCC has learned Perrysburg police may still have time to help post "no-guns" signs to private property.

An alert OFCC supporter reported last week that a Perrysburg condo development has posted a “no guns” sign at the entrance of the development. The condo park, Callander Corner, is located just east of N. Dixie Highway off of Eckel Junction. According to this volunteer, one of the condo owners says the sign was installed by the Perrysburg police, after the neighborhood association vote to post the signs. OFCC is attempting to verify the reports.

The (Ohio University) Post Online recently reported that the Student Senate passed a resolution opposing a portion of a bill introduced by Rep. Tom Brinkman (R-Cincinnati), who is currently recently running for an open seat in the U.S. Congress, that would allow persons qualified for concealed handgun licenses to protect themselves on college campuses.

From the story:

Ohio University students might be forced to live with owners and carriers of concealed weapons -and even forced to sleep with guns in their own rooms -if a bill up in the Ohio Senate passes.

Under the Ohio House of Representatives Bill 91, universities, churches, day-care centers and homes must allow people to bring concealed weapons on their premises, currently considered a criminal act.

The bill also allows non-licensed citizens to carry handguns, provided they meet licensing qualifications. This means that even if a person is not licensed and is caught carrying a concealed weapon, it is still legal as long as they could potentially be licensed.

Student Senate passed a resolution last night opposed to this portion of the bill. It asks the Ohio house to allow universities to decide individually if they will allow concealed weapons on their campuses.

"Guns in public places, on college campuses such as academic buildings, libraries and dorms is a bad idea," said Linsey Pecikonis, senator for women's affairs.

The article reveals that many of the students are apparently unfamiliar with Ohio's concealed carry law or Federal laws regarding firearms in primary schools:

Senate staff member Bryan O'Shea said the bill still exempts elementary, middle and high schools from conceal-and-carry regulations, and asked why preschoolers and college students do not need the same protection.

He also noted the culture of drinking on college campuses and the increased danger that intoxication adds to carrying weapons.

Since he mentions it, one is led to wonder if O'Shea's Student Senate has resolved to oppose underage drinking on the Ohio University campus...

A few days after this article, an informative letter to the editor opposing the resolution appeared in the Post Online. To read the letter,click on the "Read More..." link below.

The Dayton Daily News is reporting that a New Carlisle man is asking the Ohio Supreme Court to consider his challenge of the Miami County sheriff's denial of his application for a concealed handgun license.

From the story:

William R. Harris on Wednesday appealed to the court an April ruling from the Ohio 2nd District Court of Appeals. The appeals court upheld a Miami County judge's order upholding Sheriff Charles Cox's denial of Harris' permit request in May 2004. Cox denied the application after a background check showed Harris was the subject of a five-year civil protection order issued in Greene County in December 2000.

Although a civil protection order is one of the legal reasons to deny a CHL, the order against Harris was dismissed in late 2000 in favor of a consent decree that did not specifically prohibit Harris from possessing a weapon. So far two judges have agreed that Harris, who has a top security clearance and has worked at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base for 35 years, remains subject to the Greene County civil protection order.

WHIO-TV is reporting that a Dayton convenience store clerk was stabbed several times during a midnight robbery. The crime happened early Tuesday morning at the Dairy Mart on East Fifth Street in Dayton.

From the story:

Police said the clerk, a veteran just out of the military, is alive thanks to his bulletproof best. Authorities said thanks to the clerk's quick actions and citizen information, the man suspected in the robbery and stabbing, Charles King Jr., is behind bars at the Montgomery County Jail.

Police said the store is no stranger to robberies, which may explain why the clerk was wearing a bulletproof vest.
Officers said King first pretended to be a customer and then fought with the clerk as he tried to rob the place. Police said King then pulled out a knife and stabbed the clerk a half-dozen times.

Authorities said King was found around the corner sitting on a porch on McReynolds. They said he was arrested without incident. King is being held on charges of felonious assault and aggravated robbery. He bond was set at $100,000.

There is no word at this time on whether this particular Dairy Mart was posted with "no-guns" signs, but several others have the signs, including one at which a clerk was robbed and pistol-whipped last year.

Commentary from OFCC Senate District 10 Coordinator Larry S. Moore:
Thank God the store clerk is okay. This clerk was 50% prepared for trouble. The bullet-resistant vest saved his life and is a good tool. While it provides protection, it does not provide any means to stop the attack. I am certain a military veteran will know proper firearms use, and with their military training id they qualify for a CHL. Let's hope this veteran examines his personal defense preparations and obtains the means to stop an attacker. If his employer denies him the right to bear arms for self-defense, he should find a safer place to work.

The WHIO-TV is reporting that a Trotwood family was terrorized early Tuesday morning when three masked men with guns broke into their house. The home invasion happened around 2:30 a.m. at a home in the 300 block of Crown Avenue.

From the story:

Authorities said the family heard a loud noise outside on the front porch and quickly called police for help. The family said the men kicked in the front door, demanded money and ransacked the house. A woman who lives in the home said she grabbed two children who were sleeping in the living room and ran to her mother's back bedroom to hide. The woman said that the men beat and pistol-whipped her oldest nephew while the third man held the rest of the family at gunpoint.
Police said officers arrived and found one man hiding in a bush. He was taken into custody. They are continuing to search for the other two men, who managed to escape.

Once again, despite a quick call to police, they only arrived after the damage was done. Only you can be prepared to defend your family and your home against these type of attacks. These observations are not meant to criticize the law enforcement officers - it is a simple a fact of life.