FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Substitute HB 347 has been delivered to Governor Bob Taft today. This action starts the 10 day clock during which the Governor may either sign or veto the bill. If he does neither, it becomes law without his signature 90 days later.
The governor's office maintains that he "most likely will veto the bill." He has until December 16 to take that action. The Governor's office has received hundreds of calls and emails in support of HB347.

Jim Irvine, chairman of Buckeye Firearms Association, said “This Bill is an important step on the path towards modernizing Ohio’s firearm laws. We applaud the Senators and Representatives who worked hard to see this Bill’s passage, and look forward to continuing this work with them and Governor-elect Strickland next session.” A majority of Buckeye Firearms Association Regional Leaders were present on Wednesday when the bill was voted on in both the House and Senate to assure smooth, final passage of the Bill.

Click on "Read More" to continue.

By Chad D. Baus

On November 27, Dayton Daily News staff writer Steve Bennish filed a story detailing events involving a store clerk who defended himself against an armed robber.

From the story:

Police said a man entered the Express Mart, 3999 Necco Ave., about 9 p.m. armed with a handgun. The clerk behind the counter pulled out a handgun of his own and both men discharged their weapons, Dayton police Sgt. Scott Lawson said.

The clerk wasn't hit, but the robber was shot in his shoulder and ran.

He turned up a little while later at the residence of an acquaintance near Kings Mill Court, a few blocks east of the mart, and called an ambulance to treat his wound.

Police also responded to the call and quickly realized the wounded man was their suspect because he matched the description of the robber — right down to his choice of clothing.

After treatment for the non life-threatening injury at a hospital, the suspect was taken to the Montgomery County Jail, Lawson said.

I noticed that, once again, there was no mention of whether or not either the store clerk or criminal had a concealed handgun license, despite Ohio Newspaper Association assertions about the necessity media access loophole (which allows journalists to obtain the private, personal information of Ohio CHL-holders) for just such a time as this.

The story concluded with the following:

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-7407 or sbennish@DaytonDailyNews.com.

So I decided to write Mr. Bennish to inquire as to why. His response was refreshing, in the sense that he did respond. But did he answer my question?

Click on 'Read More' for details on the email exchange.

Gun ban extremists are trying to make something of a small increase in violent crime last year, ignoring the fact that there are 70 million more guns in private hands than in 1991, and 38 percent less violent crime.

In an op-ed for Newsbusters.org, writer Howard Nemerov asks "wouldn’t you like to know where those murders and robberies occurred? Was it diffused throughout the country, or are there other possible demographic factors?"

After examining the data, Nemerov concludes by saying "yes, violent crime rates increased in 2005, especially in the categories of murder and robbery. Most of this increase occurred in large metropolitan areas and in cities not part of a larger metropolitan area that reside in non-RTC states. Right-to-carry communities are generally the safest places to live, and non-metropolitan counties in RTC states are the safest places for women. So the next time a gun controller says we need to ban guns because crime is going up, kindly give them this paper and remind them that they have already contributed enough, thank you very much."

Click here to read the entire article from Howard Nemerov, an accomplished writer and good friend to Buckeye Firearms Association.