Advocates walk to defend the right to carry gun

Gahanna News
October 8, 2003

By Jef Benedetti

Walking to support a cause will get a new twist at 2:00 p.m. Sunday in Veterans Memorial Park, 73 Johnstown Road, in Gahanna.

Columbus areas gun advocates for carrying concealed weapons will hold a 'Defense Walk' to protest obstruction they say they believe is happening with the pending legislation in the Ohio Senate to allow Ohio residents to carry a concealed weapon.

Ohio House Bill 12, which would allow residents to carry concealed weapons, passed out of the Senate Judiciary-Criminal Justice commitee in March.

Robert Maroldy of Gahanna spoke about the event Monday night to Gahanna City Council. Maroldy said about 100 people showed up for a similar event last month in Cincinnati.

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Although he's a member of Ohioans For Concealed Carry, Maroldy said the event is not related to the group.

"We wanted to do this as individuals," he said.

Similar events are planned that day in other cities around Ohio, Maroldy said.

Gahann was selected for the location of the walk because it has a mix of rural and suburban residents, he said.

Gahanna Division of Police Chief Dennis Murphy has no problem with the event. Murphy noted that contingency plans are in place, should protestors show up.

"They're exercising their First and Second Amendments rights," Murphy said of the walkers.

Maroldy said the event will be a safe display of citizens with handguns and he hopes no confrontations will take place. Walkers will be instructed not to confront protestors who may show up.

"Don't try to explain your position," Maroldy said.

'The event is being held, not to change the minds of people against (concealed-carry legislation)," but to show politicians that guns could be carried safely.

Maroldy said before moving to Gahanna, he lived in Texas where in 1995 he said concealed-carry legislation was signed into law, allowing residents to carry a concealed weapon after training and licensing.

"i was one of the first to go through the training and get a license," he said, showing his Texas license, which he carries in his wallet but not recognized in Ohio.

He noted that after the concealed-carry law was enacted in Texas, the rate of violent crime toward individuals dropped.

"Bad guys had guns anyway," he said. Maroldy said he felt that type of crime went down because "the bad guys didn't know who was armed", he said

"We want to give Ohioans a means for self-defense. I have fire insurance on my home, auto insurance and health insurance. I feel I have the Constitutional right to insure my own safety."

Maroldy said he is in favor of allowing citizens to carry concealed weapons after training and licensing.

[Chief] Murphy said he is in favor of citizens carrying concealed weapons, but only after screening and training.
'I'm not in favor of the Vermont-style law," Murphy said. In that state, citizens are allowed to carry concealed weapons without license or training if they have not been convicted of certain crimes.

Murphy said he advocates screening to precvent individuals who have been convicted of a felony or domestic-violence charge from receiving a license to carry a concealed weapon.