by Chad D. Baus

Having lost legislative battles against concealed carry reform in Ohio and across the country, having seen the unsuccessful Clinton Gun Ban go down in flames, having watched another anti-gun Presidential candidate get beat on the gun issue, and having witnessed crime rates fall nationwide even as more and more Americans carry firearms for self-defense, the Brady Campaign (formerly Handgun Control Inc.) has been reduced to trying to spin recent news stories about the numbers of CHL applicants in states that have recently passed laws.

On its website, a recent Brady Bunch headline screams "Ohioans Reject Concealed Handguns – No Interest in NRA’s CCW Law". The story claims that "very few people actually want to walk around with a hidden handgun" in Ohio, and that "the same lower-than-expected numbers on gun license applications have come out of Michigan, Minnesota and Missouri, each of which has approved new concealed carry laws since 2001." In what is purported to be a statement proving their conclusions, the story quotes Bob Corwell, Executive Director of the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association (BSSA), as saying applications are "down 30 percent [from projections]" in Ohio.

What these gun ban extremists don't tell their readers is WHY Cornwell says applications are less than some expected, nor do they tell the truth about what the Ohio Legislative Service Commission's actual estimates about how many CHLs would be issued in the first year actually were.

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

The Akron Beacon Journal is reporting that authorities are investigating a bank robbery that occurred Wednesday morning in Kenmore.

The story says employees at the FirstMerit Bank in the 1000 block of Kenmore Boulevard reported that three ski-masked men with handguns entered the bank about 9:40 a.m., and demanded money. FBI officials were quoted as saying two of armed criminals jumped over the counter.

Akron police told the Beacon Journal the men were seen running toward 18th Street Southwest and may have left the area in a black car.

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The Beacon Journal makes no mention of the prominently-displayed "no-guns" signs, identical to the one pictured at right. Taken at a Garfield Heights FirstMerit robbery earlier this year, the red sign in the background was posted after the robbery - "This office closed temporarily due to an emergency. We regret the inconvenience."

While no FirstMerit employee has been willing to speak on record, citing fear of being punished at work, after the Garfield Heights robbery one employee did provide comment upon condition of anonymity:

"Over and over we are robbed, and one day someone is going to be hurt or killed. But they will not even consider the safety of their employees or their customers. They think and claim that they are, but it never fails - this happens and they are helpless to stop it. This robbery is another perfect example of them being helpless in protecting us, leaving us helpless to do it ourselves".

FirstMerit has been serving Northeastern Ohio for over 155 years, and purchased branches in Western Pennsylvania in the past decade. Pennsylvania has had a concealed carry law since the late 80's, and up until frustrated Ohio customers began pointing out the hypocracy, these stores have never been posted with discriminatory signs.

Customer Contact Center - 1-888-554-4362
In the Akron area, please call 330-996-6025.
Email: customerservice@firstmerit.com.
(If you would like to hear back from a FirstMerit customer representative, please indicate that in your message.)

IS CRIME ON THE INCREASE IN POSTED BUSINESSES? Is advertising that customers and employees inside your business are defenseless really such a "safe" idea? Click to view a list which documents crimes committed in businesses posted with "no-guns" signs.

Related Stories:
FBI: Ohio bank heists with violent component on the rise

Shots fired by robber at ''no-guns'' First Merit bank

Medina victim sues man who robbed her at First Merit ATM

Another ''no-guns'' First Merit robbery; Branch once held OFCC's accounts

First Merit: Another armed robbery in ''gun-free'' bank

FIVE: FirstMerit victim zone robbed again

Ironic timing for FirstMerit bank to begin posting discriminatory signs