Doing his duty: Man shot trying to retreat from armed robber in Columbus

by Chad D. Baus

During debate on Ohio's original concealed carry law a decade ago, the Ohio State Highway Patrol, controlled by then-Gov. Bob Taft (R), voiced opposition to any law that would allow citizens a legal way to carry a concealed handgun in a motor vehicle.

On February 13, 2003, OSHP spokesperson John Born was quoted as saying "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."

Pro-CCW activists actually started keeping a victim count of all the people who tried to follow his ridiculous advice - and coined a term for what often happened to people who tried to just "drive off" when attacked. We called it "getting Borned."

During the lengthy fight against Born, the OSHP and Taft to get passage of the bill that finally brought concealed carry to the Buckeye State (HB12), at least two men died (see here and here) trying to follow Born's advice.

Ten years later comes debate on House Bill 203, which seeks to reform Ohio's decade-old concealed carry law. John Born is history and the OSHP has remained silent on HB 203 under the leadership of Gov. John Kasich (R), but there are others making new claims about the portion of the legislation that seeks to reform Ohio's self-defense laws by removing the legal "duty to retreat."

Opponents support current law, which requires a victim to attempt to retreat from an attack before defending themselves, or if they do act in self-defense in a lethal encounter, to be able to prove to a jury that they had no way to retreat. They claim no one is being harmed under current law.

There are too many people making these claims to name the problem after any one person, but as the following incident proves, John Born's claims that a person can "just drive away" from an attack and HB 203 opponents' claims that people should continue to have a "duty to retreat" are both cut from the same cloth.

Recently, WBNS (CBS Columbus) reported that a man was shot when he tried to run from an armed robber, just as opponents of HB 203 advise that he should to do.

From the article:

A gunman was on the run after shooting a victim during an alleged robbery.

The shooting happened just before midnight Thursday in the 3800 block of Roswell Drive in east Columbus.

Police say the suspect approached the victim with a gun and demanded money.

The suspect then fired shots as the victim tried to run away.

Police say the victim was hit but managed to run to a nearby home on Bostwick Road to call for help.

The victim was taken to Grant Medical Center and was expected to recover.

Police say the shooter got away in a green or blue Malibu.

As Buckeye Firearms Association has been explaining for quite some time, the law should not impose specific 'duties' on people whose lives are in jeopardy. It should protect the innocent and their right to defend their own life from criminal attack. HB 203 would not otherwise change the threshold to legally use lethal force in defending one's life.

Chad D. Baus is the Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary, and BFA PAC Vice Chairman.