NOT AGAIN: Driver killed ''trying to back away from his assailant''

"We do not want a loaded firearm readily accessible to the driver of a car. If there's a dangerous situation and you're in your car, you can drive off." - Capt. John Born, Ohio State Highway Patrol.

"...Of all the changes made by the Senate, as a father, I am most proud of the work we did to ensure the safety of Ohio children under this bill." - Steve Austria, who chaired the committee which added Taft's "Carjacker Protection" provision in the Senate.

"The bill as passed by the Senate gives law-abiding citizens the opportunity to protect themselves by carrying a concealed weapon, while protecting the best interests and safety of all Ohioans." Senate President Doug White, who delayed appointing conference committee members for four months for political reasons.

Driver killed on West Side
November 14, 2003

A man was shot to death about 2:30 a.m. Friday while driving on Lechner Ave. near Sullivant Ave., on the West Side. Columbus police believe the driver was trying to back away from his assailant when he was shot.

Columbus police said the man, Joseph A. Holmes, was shot several times.

Columbus police say the victim of the shooting lost control of the van after he was shot in the head, and crashed nearby. He was taken to Mount Carmel West, where he died.

Commentary:
Shame on them.

Shame on the Ohio State Highway Patrol for opposing self-defense legislation that saves lives in other states, by using the excuse that drivers in Ohio can "just drive away" when attacked in their cars.

Shame on Gov. Taft for giving these irresponsible, unelected OSHP bureaucrats such absolute legislative authority.

Shame on those Taft enablers in the Ohio Senate, who refuse to commit to overriding a potential Taft veto due to Republican"Party solidarity."

According to GunWeek Magazine, the Ohio State Highway Patrol refuses to answer questions about how their poor advice continues to fail Ohioans, sometimes at the cost of their very lives (see: TONY GORDON DIED TRYING TO FOLLOW OSHP CAPT. JOHN BORN'S ADVICE).

Another Ohioan is dead - dead because he, like Tony Gordon, died trying to drive away when attacked in his car. While all the circumstances of this shooting are not known, what IS known is that the "fundamental nature of a motor vehicle" does not provide a person an adequate means of self-defense, no matter what the Ohio State Highway Patrol bureaucrats say.

Click here to read the story at www.dispatch.com.