As Ohio's race between the Senate and the OSC heats up, finally we see front page coverage in the Willoughby News-Herald, Sunday edition. While our own Jeff Garvas and the owner of (what is becoming Lake counties only public shooting range) Big Bore Specialties, Jon Stewart, stuck to the facts, the same old scare tactics and misguided information was quoted from the OHP.

I feel the article was neither pro nor con, but gave both sides the opportunity to voice their opinion.

The story can be read by clicking here.

Dr. John R. Lott Jr. will be making a public appearance in Cincinnati this week to promote his newly released book, The Bias Against Guns.

YOUR APPEARANCE IS REQUESTED!

Dr. Lott will be speaking, taking questions, and signing books on May 1 at 7:30 p.m. Location as follows:

Borders Books
4530 Eastgate Blvd.
Cincinnati, OH
(513) 943-0068

Lott is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute, and the author of More Guns, Less Crime and The Bias Against Guns. He has been most generous in contributing to efforts to restore Ohioans' right to self-defense. This event would be well worth the drive, and is a great opportunity to show your support for one of the academics who continue to fight for your right to self-defense.

Canal Winchester resident Steve Elsea has written an excellent letter to the editor about the need for concealed carry reform, which was published in Tuesday's Columbus Dispatch. Elsea points out how different things would be in Iraq if America's Second Amendment was law there, and steers back to how different things could be here in Ohio if our own state Constitution was recognized.

Click here to read the full letter in the Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only), or click on the "Read More..." link below for an archived version.

Under the control of Gov. Taft, Ohio continues to fall farther and farther behind the rational majority of states in our country.

In the past few weeks, three more governors (two Republicans, one Democrat) have signed shall-issue concealed carry reform bills into law - in Colorado, Minnesota and New Mexico. Kansas, Missouri & Nebraska legislatures are also promising passage of these reforms in 2003.

Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty explained his action with the simple fact that continues to elude Bob Taft: "Other states have not experienced more gunplay after making concealed weapons permits easier to get. "The 38 other states that have the (`concealed carry`) law, on a per capita or pro rata basis, are not experiencing any worse incidents of violent crime or gun violence than Minnesota."

A great new animation has been created which details the »

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Do a few bad apples truly ruin the bunch? Do people truly deserve to be judged by the very worst among them?

That's exactly what anti-gun extremists do when they exploit despicable acts of violence, or point to a random example of illegal firearms misuse to support their effort to ban firearms ownership and defensive use.

Governor Taft's Ohio Highway Patrol, the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Fraternal Order of Police labor union treat the law-abiding citizens of this state no differently when they claim Ohioans can't be trusted to carry firearms in defense of themselves or their families. They do Ohio's law-abiding citizens no better than the anti-gun activists when they claim only officers with many, many hours of training can safely carry a firearm in their personal vehicle, or can be trusted not to elevate an everyday confrontation into a deadly shootout.

So what would these OHP and FOP bureaucrats do if the same principle was applied to them? How would they act if they were told they were no longer allowed to carry a firearm off-duty, due to the actions of some (no matter how small the fraction) of their own?

DELAWARE, Ohio -- Police are seeking a Columbus man accused in a series of vehicle break-ins outside day-care centers -- including one with a 5-year-old girl inside the car.

Matthews is accused of casing four day-care centers in Delaware and Franklin counties between Jan. 15 and Jan. 23 and entering four unlocked cars, Delaware County Prosecutor David Yost said yesterday at a news conference.

In one incident, Yost said, "Mom had her 5-year-old daughter in the car. Thankfully, the young girl was not hurt in any way,'' he said.

The location of the crimes was the main reason for seeking a stiffer penalty, Yost said.

"This is a place where you trust your children to be cared for all day,'' he said.

"You stop to get your kid and come back to the car and there is somebody lurking nearby to make you a victim.''

OFCC PAC Commentary:
We couldn't have made a better statement than Mr. Yost did, for why any consideration by the Senate to add day-cares to the list of "victim zone" exclusions in HB12 is a very bad idea.

Forcing CCW permit-holders to leave their firearms in their cars before entering certain establishments (restaurants, churches, day-cares, gas stations, etc.) will create severe and unintended consequences.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

An Indiana congressman has introduced legislation in Washington that would make every state eligible to enter by legally armed citizens. Here is the link to the proposal and article that includes an e-mail form for contacting your representative in Washington. 3,000,000+ legally armed citizens across America are being called upon to band together and demand action and support by our representatives.

Click here to read about the national carry proposal.

Ed. Note: If this bill passes before HB12, citizens of other states would gain their legal right to self-defense in Ohio before Ohioans do.

"In the March 18 issue of The Advocate, there was a letter addressing the proposed Ohio concealed weapons law. I no longer live in Ohio, having moved to Florida. I have a concealed weapons permit and do carry a weapon.

It has been shown since the implementation of this law that the crime rate on senior citizens here in Florida has fallen. The Ohio Highway Patrol and the public need not get paranoid over this proposed law becoming law. Crimes are committed by criminals not by the general public. As a rule, the police cannot prevent crime. However, citizens carrying a concealed weapon are in a much better position to prevent crimes on their person than are the police."

Jerry Gall
Florida

Ed. Note: Mr. Gall's letter was printed in the Newark Advocate on Friday, April 25. His letter (which has been edited) also revealed a misunderstanding that Ohio's HB12 would required gun registration. To access a Fact vs. Fiction analysis of HB12, click here.

Boyd Allen Tucker, the Democratic candidate for the 3rd Ward Troy City Council seat, has been charged with carrying a concealed weapon in connection to a March 31 incident in front of his Race Street home.

Tucker, of 19 W. Race St., admitted Thursday he had the weapon but said he was attempting to help a man who had been "jumped" and was being beaten on the sidewalk of 22 W. Race St., across the street from his house.

OFCC PAC Commentary:
If only Mr. Tucker had listened to the Ohio Supreme Court oral arguments, and secured his firearm in the open...he certainly wouldn't have been charged for any crime then, right?

Click here to read the entire story in the Troy Daily News.

David Volk of Blissfield Michigan wrote a letter to the editor which appears in Friday's Toledo Blade. Volk says his state is more civilized because it recognizes his right to self-defense.

Since we're Buckeye fans at OFCC PAC, it's hard to say this, but...David's right - Michigan (or West Virginia, or Pennsylvania, or Indiana, or Kentucky) IS a better place to live for law-abiding people who want to protect themselves.

Perhaps that's why Ohio's border counties have experienced the lions-share of Ohio's population decline in the past few years. Move across just the border and win your rights back. Not a bad deal. Perhaps the Ohio General Assembly needs to consider the economic impact of loosing those residents to our right-to-carry neighbors, as they struggle to balance the budget.

Click here to read the entire letter to the editor in the Toledo Blade.