By Chad D. Baus

Ohio Attorney General Marc Dann (D) announced today that at least some Ohioans applying for concealed handgun licenses (CHLs) since 2004 have not been properly screened to determine if they have been found mentally incompetent by a judge, or involuntarily committed to a mental institution. Such screens are required by state law.

Mr. Dann, who initiated a check of the state’s database in the wake of the Virginia Tech massacre, said he learned late last week that the database containing the names of mentally incompetent individuals was not being reviewed during the background check process. He immediately directed the staff of the Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation to conduct the required screening.

That review revealed that two people in Lucas County (out of the nearly 87,000 Ohio CHLs that have been issued across the state) had been issued licenses when they should not have been - one a Temporary Emergency License (TEL), and one a standard Concealed Handgun License. Neither license was active at the time of Dann's discovery, and Dann, who supports Ohio's concealed carry law, said neither had committed gun crimes or were considered a danger to others.

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Readers passionate about shooting

By Regina Brett
April 27, 2007

Off. The. Scale.

The reaction to the shooting of 15-year-old Arthur Buford has everyone up in arms.

More than 400 readers told me Damon Wells had every right to shoot and kill Buford. Only 20 disagreed.

Wells was not sitting on his porch when he was attacked, as I wrote Wednesday. He was returning from the store and walking across his yard when two teens approached. At the porch, one pulled a gun and said, "Don't move or I'll pop you."

Wells, who has a concealed-carry permit, fired his Smith & Wesson at "Ace Boogie" Buford, who was still on probation for aggravated robbery.

Black and white, male and female, Clevelanders and suburbanites are tired of thugs - thugs of any race - terrorizing neighborhoods.

Both Wells and Buford are black. Both black and white readers asked why the black ministers and politicians hadn't shown support for Wells. Someone smashed all the front windows of Wells' home.

A 71-year-old widow called me to offer money to help fix them.

Eleanor R. from Cleveland Heights wanted to be the first to help Mr. Wells. A widow on a fixed income, she offered $25.

Bless her heart.

Click here to read Brett's entire op-ed.

Click 'Read More' for a few letters to the editor that the Plain Dealer chose to publish.