Op. Ed: Will Ohio’s gun law survive?

04.28.04
Middletown Journal

By Sim Evans
For The Journal

“Remember the first rule of gunfighting: ‘Have a gun.”’
— Jeff Cooper

Ohio’s concealed carry is now in effect. It is, as the old folks used to say, the law of the land, but the controversy still rages. Libraries that, only a few months ago, were begging the taxpayers for money, have now posted signs prohibiting firearms. They don’t want “guns amongst the children,” so please mail in your money.

Many restaurant chains are, as a matter of policy, doing the same thing. The thought of an armed citizen impatiently awaiting the belated delivery of a bowl of cold soup disturbs management. They know their product, they know their employees, and they’d rather not take any chances.

Newspaper editorials are nearly unanimous in their condemnation of this new law. Recently I had occasion to visit a local newspaper office. Upon entry, the first person I encountered was a uniformed guard. Taciturn and unsmiling, he requested that I state my business. I surmised his job was to keep out the riffraff, so I left. They must not trust their subscribers.

Even the Social Security office has a “no guns” sign, in large print, so us old geezers can read it. Inside, they have an armed guard, and I don’t understand why. Nobody goes to the Social Security office to steal; heck, they give money away down there.

Generally speaking, the police prefer that no one else carry a weapon, and this is understandable. If everybody has a gun, including Grandma, then what’s left for a policeman to feel special about? If everyone were sufficiently capable of defending themselves, so as to make the cost of aggression unacceptably high, then who would pay the policeman’s mortgage?

Police officials are fond of saying it is a safety issue; that police already have the most dangerous job in the community, and more guns on the street just makes it worse. Well, they are entitled to their own opinion but, as Sen. Pat Moynihan once said, “not to their own facts.” When it comes to dangerous jobs, being a policeman does not even rank in the top ten.

The statistics are firm on this; even the pizza delivery boy’s job is much more dangerous than that of the cop on the beat. Or one could reasonably interpret this statistic to indicate that police are unable to protect the pizza delivery boys.

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Now for the fun part: Butler County, Ohio, is fortunate to have a policeman in charge of issuing concealed carry permits who is also willing to talk to reporters about the issue. He is a one-man, walking, talking, public relations department for the Sheriff’s Office.

This police officer, sometimes referred to as “deputy” and sometimes as “commander,” is quoted by the Middletown Journal as saying he “always asks them why they want to carry.” He goes on to say: “Their chests are puffed out, they’re walking tall They don’t know what they’re going to do with it, but they have it now.” Only one name comes to mind when one reads about this police officer — Barney Fife!

It is, in my opinion, a mistake to view the hullabaloo about the concealed carry law in isolation. We have been fighting over the abortion issue for more than 30 years now, with no end in sight. Prayers in school, flag-burning, and even the Ten Commandments, heretofore so revered in our society as to require capitalization, are becoming issues sufficiently contentious as to be irresolvable.

It is becoming painfully evident that majority rule will not work without overwhelming consensus on fundamental cultural issues.

It is also painfully evident that this necessary consensus is lacking. Culturally, America is falling apart. It is ironic that, while some view this splintering phenomenon with dismay, others nod approvingly, and call it multiculturalism.

God, the flag, the Bill of Rights, and the Ten Commandments — all are deeply entwined in traditional American culture. The right to meaningful self-defense is born in man, and the right to keep and bear arms is guaranteed by two constitutions.

Like it or not, these are the underpinnings upon which the Great Republic was built. Whether they will survive, I know not, but it is reasonable to predict that if they go down, so will the country.

Think it over, and choose your poison.

Sim Evans is a resident of the Franklin area. His e-mail address is [email protected].