By Don Myers

Recently, there were two Christian musicians who were leaving a recording studio and were murdered for two dollars and their car. Initially, I paid little attention to the news reports nor did I listen to the names of the two victims. Three days later, I received an e-mail from a woman friend who had received her CHL by taking my course along with her son and daughter. The e-mail read, “Hi Don, my son, Steve, was murdered Thursday. His funeral is at….”

I sat there stunned. Steve had been licensed through my instruction. I had been to a couple of activities that he and his mother attended – in both cases they were armed. I knew Steve’s mother believed as I do that you never go anywhere unarmed if it is legal to carry in those places. I did not know Steve as well as I did his mother, but I found him to be very likable and smart. In fact, I later discovered that he was probably a genius. Of course after getting that terrible news, I couldn’t help wonder if he was armed that night.

By Jim Irvine

SB184 is 75 pages. It will go into effect on September 09, 2008. This is part of a series of articles looking at specific sections of the bill and how it will affect you. Keep in mind that I am not an attorney and this does not constitute legal advice. Concealed carry license holders are required to read the Attorney General guide. I highly recommend “The Ohio Guide to Firearms Laws” by Ken Hanson, Esq. (NOW AVAILABLE: Update for SB184).

Since the CCW law went into effect, we have received many complaints from individuals who pled guilty to a minor infraction years ago, and subsequently had the conviction of that infraction sealed or expunged, thus restoring all their rights. Unfortunately, when they applied for a CHL, that “sealed” record shows up on the background check and they were denied a license. These are generally good people. Many of them had not had so much as a traffic ticket in 20 or 30 years. The question was always, “What can I do?”

Even though a judge had looked at their specific case, and the police/prosecutor were given the opportunity to weigh in on the restoration of rights, and a court had found that there was no reason for concern, and ordered their record cleared, the local sheriff did not have the authority to issue a license.

This problem has been fixed.

By Chad D. Baus

Writing about the victims of crime can be a sensitive business. The practice is done by the pro-Second Amendment community out of a desire to learn from others' experiences, and yet at times it is easy, when viewing media accounts of the events, to perceive victims' stories more as fictional case studies than for what they actually are - the horrifying experiences of actual people, and sometimes the grief of family members who have lost a loved one.

It is with a heavy heart, and with this need for sensitivity in mind, that I approach the story of Matthew Dugan, a 34 year-old man who was shot and killed at his workplace in West Toledo on August 13.

By Chad D. Baus

As a regular church attendee, the issue of church security and the more than 500% increase in church shootings over the past 8 years is near and dear to my heart. In recent months, I have written several articles on the subject of the need for security preparations in places of worship.

In "Ohio's ban on defending lives in places of worship: How did it get this bad?" I noted that, thanks to Ohio law, CHL-holders are banned from attending worship services (or even entering the building) while armed, unless they have received special permission from church/synagogue/mosque officials.

In "New Life Church Pastor Brady Boyd speaks out on church security preparedness", I recounted a discussion by New Life Church Pastor Brady Boyd over how churches need to recognize that they are targets of violence in this day and age, and about how (thankfully) his church had prepared in advance for such a day.

And the "Security for Faith-Based Organizations Seminar" at greater Cincinnati's Creation Museum" offers church leaders advice on making all types of security preparations.

As the Denver Post recently reported, concerns over security at places of worship have been increasing in the wake of massacre after massacre in "no-guns" (victim disarmament) zones across the country - most recently at the Tennessee Valley Unitarian Universalist Church in Knoxville.

Typically when discussions of making preparations to harden soft targets such as schools and university campuses is discussed, the mainstream media is quick to attack the idea. But as two recent news stories indicate, even news outlets in anti-gun cities like Cleveland and Pittsburgh are becoming more willing to at least give unbiased coverage of the issue.

Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson is about to release an Instructor Update that will address many of the concerns facing Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL)/NRA Certified Instructors as the time for the first round recertification of CHL students' competency approaches.

Only subscribers to Buckeye Firearms Assocation's FREE Pro-Gun Newsletter will receive this Instructors' Update, which will be emailed to subscribers on Monday, August 25th.

By Jim Irvine

SB184 is 75 pages. It will go into effect on September 09, 2008. This is part of a series of articles looking at specific sections of the bill and how it will affect you. Keep in mind that I am not an attorney and this does not constitute legal advice. Concealed carry license holders are required to read the Attorney General guide. I highly recommend “The Ohio Guide to Firearms Laws” by Ken Hanson, Esq. (NOW AVAILABLE: Update for SB184).

Of all the places concealed handgun licensees (CHL’s) are banned from carrying a gun, the ban in “any room in which liquor is being dispensed” was the one we were most often asked to address. While this section is greatly improved, we expect it to continue to be one of the most hated by gun owners, as it still bans carry in restaurants that serve alcohol, regardless of whether the CHL is under the influence of alcohol or not.

If this is an important issue to you, make sure your legislator understands your concern on this issue. It will continue to be a political hot button to fix.

Buckeye Firearms Association Legislative Chair Ken Hanson, Esq.'s “The Ohio Guide to Firearms Laws” has always been the most complete, up-to-date book available on this subject matter! But never more-so than now that Hanson is offering updates which include changes made by SB184!

The Second Edition book includes Plain English explanations, copies of all statutes, now now including those changed by SB184. The updates, which are provided on a CD-ROM in .pdf format, explains what has changed by referring back to the sections of the book so the laws can be compared before and after. (For persons who previously purchased the Second Edition, the update disc is available for $5.95.)

For further details or to purchase the book and/ or SB184 update, click here.

In May, the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action (NRA-ILA) Hanson with its Defender of Justice Award, recognizing his extensive pro-bono work to improve and defend gun rights.

By Gerard Valentino

The knife violence in Britain has reached epidemic proportions according to an article at Dailymail.co.uk, an online news agency in England.

From the story:

SIX stabbed to death in just 24 hours as Blade Britain's knife epidemic spirals out of control

The scourge of knife crime gripping Britain has reached new depths with six murders across the country in less than 24 hours.

Four of the killings were in London in an appalling day of bloodshed.

Americans recognize the sensational headlines and use of the term epidemic to describe the actions of common criminals because of articles by the U.S. media that use the same format but vilify guns instead of knives. The nature of this type of news reporting makes it obvious they are used to sway public opinion against guns, or knives or the use of self-defense by the average citizen.

When Britain outlawed guns (and self-defense), their elected officials claimed that the impending domestic tranquility would make them the envy of the world.

Gun-rights activists in the United States knew better and made the now vindicated argument that it would not stop criminals from plying their deadly trade. Without guns to blame, the media in Britain has started to warm of the dangers of citizens with knives. Clearly ignoring the obvious fact that regardless of whether the tool is a gun, knife, computer or well executed con-game, there are people in society willing to prey on others.

By Ken Cormack

First things first – The Disclaimers: This article attempts to explain the concept of non-resident concealed carry licenses and permits, describes the application processes for some of the states that offer them, and lists the factors you should consider when choosing which non-resident licenses to obtain. It makes no attempt to describe the differences in the laws of the various states, with regard to firearms ownership in general, or concealed carry specifically.

Even if you choose not to obtain a non-resident license from any state, the following point still bears mentioning with regard to your Ohio Concealed Handgun License, since it too, allows you to carry concealed in several states other than Ohio: It is up to you to research and understand the laws of each state you plan to visit, whether simply transporting, or carrying a firearm in any state. This cannot be overstated as it can mean the difference between a pleasant trip, and an arrest. These laws vary widely from state to state, and only the laws of the state you are in at the time, apply. Know the laws of the states into which you plan to bring your handgun. Professional legal assistance is advised, to answer any questions.

To this, Buckeye Firearms Association's Legislative Chair Ken Hanson adds the following: “Most federal law exemptions for CHLs apply only to a resident license, in the resident's home state. For example, the federal school zone restriction doesn't apply to someone with a CHL, but only if it is a resident license, and inside the state of residence". So again, readers are cautioned to perform careful legal research, and consult professional legal assistance.

WHAT IS A NON-RESIDENT LICENSE, AND WHY WOULD I WANT ONE?