As astute gun owners are already aware, the Associated Press is not typically known for its fair and balanced coverage of self-defense issues. So it will probably come as a surprise that the AP has published a story that shows exactly what all the hard work to pass Ohio's concealed carry law was about...

A woman who was repeatedly raped 23 years ago has learned self-defense and how to shoot a gun should two of her attackers return to her town when they’re paroled Monday.

“If it’s me or them, it’s not going to be me anymore,” said Cathy Lindsey. “I would not hesitate for a minute to protect my life.”

Three men broke into her Middletown home, tied her up and held a gun to her head and raped her repeatedly. They made her beg for her life and for the safety of her children, who were in another room, and forced her to say over and over that she would not tell police.

When they finally left, Lindsey drove to a hospital and ignored the men’s threats to kill her. She identified two attackers, and later picked the third from a police lineup. They had been so bold — or so inept — that they took turns wearing a single pillowcase over their heads, Lindsey said.

All three men denied any involvement, but police found their fingerprints in Lindsey’s apartment and found the gun, pillowcase and clothesline used to bind her hands in the home of Richard Reed Jr., who lived across the street.

Reed, 53, and Robert Hogsten, 49, are being released Monday, after serving all but five years of their sentences on rape convictions. In exchange for their guilty pleas, prosecutors dropped charges of aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery.

...The third man convicted in the attack is Hogsten’s brother, Edward Hogsten, 50. He did not take a plea bargain, was convicted of rape, aggravated burglary and aggravated robbery and was sentenced to 28 to 68 years in prison. He will be eligible for parole in 2011.

The AP reports that Reed’s family expects him to return to the area where Lindsey still lives, because he has a son in nearby Monroe. Lindsey was quoted as saying she dreads the possibility that either man could live near her home in Middletown.

Lindsey and her husband filed for protective orders to be served on Reed and Hogsten before their release, and have applied for [licenses] to carry concealed [handguns].

Click on 'Read More' for further details and commentary.

The New York Post is reporting that NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who was recently named on this website as one of the Ten People Who Are Threatening Your Ohio Gun Rights, is refusing to turn over the evidence the city gathered, after sending private investigators into five states to catch gun dealers making illegal sales, to the federal agency that investigates illegal guns.

From the story:

Analysts said the impasse may have slowed the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms in its investigation of and possible action against gun dealers that broke the law.

The city won't turn over the evidence, which includes videotapes of gun dealers allowing so-called straw purchases of guns, until the ATF signs an evidence-sharing agreement that would prohibit the agency from "publicly disclosing evidence without notice and consent from the city," the mayor's criminal justice coordinator, John Feinblatt, said.

The inability of the two sides to come to an agreement is due in part to what the ATF perceived as the mayor's infringement on its jurisdiction, analysts and law enforcement sources said.

There is another reason for which the city could be reluctant to turn over this evidence - one which is not mentioned in the story.

During the course of the “investigation,” Bloomberg’s investigators may have committed felonies by lying on BATFE Form 4473. It is also being reported that Bloomberg’s actions may have interfered with "on-going investigations" by the BATFE.

Michael Bloomberg may be the Mayor of New York City, but he still has a profound affect on our Ohio gun rights. In an attempt to spread his restrictive New York City gun laws all over the country, Bloomberg has hosted two anti-gun summits with other big city mayors. You can read more about the summits here and here.

The Second Amendment Foundation has spoken out on this news. Click on 'Read More' for an SAF press release, which calls upon Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to prosecute New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg for obstruction of justice.