FBI: More bank robbers used guns in their crimes last year
A story in the Sunday, Jan. 2 Columbus Dispatch will come as no surprise to those OFCC supporters who have been following the posting of "no-guns" signs in banks across the state.
The story starts like this:
- Bank heists were more dangerous last year.
Robbers threatened tellers or patrons with guns in 30, or 28 percent, of the bank jobs in central Ohio. In past years, guns have been used in only about 20 percent of robberies, according to the FBI.
Investigators say they don’t know why so many robbers walked into banks and credit unions with guns out, ordering all inside to lie on the floor or pointing guns in tellers’ faces.
Can they be serious in claiming they "don't know why so many more robbers" stormed into banks with guns? The story continues:
- Rarely was more than one bank or credit union robbed on the same day, but on Aug. 23, three Downtown offices of Fifth Third Bank were hit.
One month before these robberies, OFCC moved the Tony Gordon Memorial Fund away from Fifth Third after the Ohio-based chain refused to remove their dangerous "no-guns" signs.
Soon after passage of Ohio's concealed carry law in 2004, the Ohio Banker's League began distributing instructions on how banks can ban CHL-holders. Since then, OFCC has documented many, many armed robberies in "no-guns" banks:
Clearly, the "no-guns" signs only keep out the honest.
And based upon this latest information from the FBI, it appears more likely that these signs may even invite an increased chance of armed robbery, as criminals search for businesses where they can be certain their victims are defenseless.
Related Stories:
FBI: Ohio bank heists with violent component on the rise
- 2256 reads
