By Chad D. Baus

Many of the usual characters have come out with early opposition to SB239, Ohio's restaurant carry and car carry reform bill.

But after years of hearing the same old, tired warnings, and years of experience which prove their predictions false, I'm hopeful their predictably dire warnings, some of which are outlined below, will be given much less attention in the Statehouse this year.

The Senate Judiciary on Criminal Justice Committee, chaired by Sen. Tim Grendell (R-18), will hear sponsor and proponent testimony on SB239, introduced this week by Senator Shannon Jones and Senator Tim Schaffer to allow citizens who hold a valid concealed handgun license (CHL) to carry a firearm in restaurants, and to reduce burdensome restrictions regarding how a license holder must transport a firearm in a car, on Wednesday, March 24 at 10:15 AM in the Senate Building's South Hearing Room.

"This bill makes Ohio's laws more consistent with the norm for what other states are doing," said Senator Jones. "Six years after concealed carry became law in Ohio we have not experienced the lawlessness or 'doom and gloom' predictions that some claimed would come true. Ohio gun owners have proven themselves just as responsible as those in other states, and this refinement of our concealed carry laws is a logical next step to help our citizens legally protect themselves and their families."

By Gerard Valentino

According to a story published on Toledoonthemove.com the Toledo Police are recommending that women lock their car doors to combat a crime spree in the area that includes violent assaults, robberies, and even a sexual assault.

The story goes on to say that in the latest assault, a woman was attacked on the way to her car after work.

Basically, the Toledo Police are admitting what everyone should already know. It is not the job of the local police, or their responsibility to protect any single individual. Supreme Court rulings confirm that the police cannot be held responsible if a person is attacked, even if there is reason to believe it will happen.

As security experts have said for years, your security is your responsibility. Either you take it seriously or you put yourself at risk.

The goal isn't to turn your car or home into a fortress, or to avoid people. Instead, you can take some basic precautions that won’t drastically change your life, but will help you and your loved ones live more safely.