May 7, 2004
Toledo Blade

All of the states that allow citizens to carry concealed handguns have been careful about issuing permits, Brian Patrick, an assistant professor of communication at the University of Toledo, said during a taping of The Editors television program.
Ohio on April 7 became the 46th state with some form of concealed-carry law. No state has issued permits to just anyone, Dr. Patrick said. Every state has a set of restrictions and a process to evaluate the effects of the law.

"The people who are licensed to carry under these laws are a very carefully selected lot," Dr. Patrick said. "They are not impulsive. They have no criminal records.

"They are upstanding in every way, and they're not really a risk," he said. "And as a result, these laws have been without sad consequences. I don't think they've come across as dramatic decreasers of crime as they've been touted. But there haven't been negative effects, and this is on a national basis, and I wouldn't see them in Ohio."

Dr. Patrick, who has been studying the concealed-carry movement, was questioned by Thomas Walton, vice president-editor of The Blade.

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May 11, 2004
WFMJ NBC Ch. 21 Youngstown

Employees are in fear after a gunman held up at least a half dozen businesses in Warren. We talked with one woman who quit her job after the confrontation. Employees at The Wet Spot Bar in Warren are in fear that the robber will strike again.

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May 12, 2004
(Lisbon) Morning Journal News

Fingerprinting of concealed carry applicants to begin

LISBON —The first applicants for concealed weapons permits will be getting fingerprinted Thursday, beginning the final step in the process before permits can be issued.

County Sheriff David Smith said they’ve begun scheduling applicants to be fingerprinted because the fingerprint scanning equipment is finally back up and running.

Approximately 262 people have applied for concealed carry permits since the law allowing Ohioans to carry a concealed weapon went into effect April 8.

Under the law, the county sheriff has 45 days to process the application and either issue a permit or deny the request. Smith reported two weeks ago the process had been slowed because they had to order a new fingerprint scanner after the existing one broke.

The new equipment has arrived, the software bugs have been worked out and Smith said deputy Commander Daniel “Skip” MacLean has begun scheduling applicants for fingerprinting, with the first to arrive Thursday.

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Three cheers for a journalist who actually publishes the truth about crime rates and concealed carry reform!

May 11, 2004
The Marion Star

by Jillian Daley

The concealed carry law most likely won't mean the return of twitchy-fingered gunslingers yelling "draw!" at high noon.

In fact, crime could get wounded with the adoption of the concealed-carry law in the old Midwest. Ohio legislators passed the law in January and it was effective April 8.

According to FBI Uniform Crime Reports, violent crime rates are highest overall in states that don't have laws or have limited laws that permit carrying concealed firearms for self-defense.

Rodney Cooper, owner of Rods, Guns and More on Harding Highway East, was issued the first Marion County concealed-carry weapon license on April 30, 22 days after he applied. There is a 45-day limit on concealed carry license processing.

Cooper said FBI records indicate that crime decreased for states that adopted a concealed-carry law.

"That's the big reason for having it in the first place: The crime rate drops," he said.

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