40% of Columbus car thieves caught with ''hidden guns''

Ohio's gun ban extremists are fond of saying that they have a "right to know" if they are in the presence of someone with a gun. And so, they argue, the public should have access to the entire list of concealed carry license holders, so that they can steer clear of friends and neighbors who make the decision to take responsibility for protecting themselves and their families (also, according to a recent Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence email, so they can encourage employers to discriminate against employees or potential hires).

But as (inadvertantly) pointed out in this recent Columbus Dispatch story about a car theft sting operation, Ohioans have been in the presence of "hidden guns" for years, and they just don't know it.

In the two days the Dispatch reported on in this story, police apprehended 10 car thieves. Four of them (40%) were illegally armed!

Forty percent is much higher than the percentage of population who are concealed handgun license (CHL) holders in any state. Furthermore, CHL holders are proven to be some of the most law-abiding citizens there are (typically, less than 1% commit crimes, and only a very small percentage of those are anything other than petty misdemeanors that usually don't involve their firearms at all).

Yet it is these law-abiding citizens which the Dispatch, Cleveland Plain Dealer, and Elyria Chronicle have committed to harrassing in their newspapers. Not one of these editorial boards have committed to printing the names of criminals who carry "hidden guns" illegally.

Now that's some information that could really do society some good. Because as the story proves, Ohio's citizens have been in the presence of those people with guns for years, and will continue to be, with or without the liberalization of firearms laws for Ohio's law-abiding citizens.

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