Letter to the Editor: "Majority of states have concealed-carry laws"

This letter to the editor appears in the Nov. 18, 2002 edition of the Columbus Dispatch:

"I read with interest that Gov. Bob Taft is still saying he won't sign a law allowing the concealed carry of handguns without law-enforcement support ("Conceal/carry back on agenda,'' Dispatch, Nov. 10).

The majority of states have concealed-carry laws. Ohio doesn't need to reinvent the wheel. Lawmakers should look at other states' laws and take the best parts of each to craft our own."

"As for the governor's reluctance to sign such a law, his staff should contact law-enforcement officials in a few of those states to ask them if and how their systems work. Are we so arrogant to believe that the majority of the United States is wrong on this issue and we are right? I believe the governor won't find the problems that Ohio officials are so afraid of. The State Highway Patrol says it does not endorse a concealed-carry law. The governor should thank the patrol for its opinion and then remember that the patrol reports to him, not the other way around."

DAVID MILAM

Circleville

Read the whole letter in the Columbus Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only).