Stories

Editorial: Hot-potato bills add drama to General Assembly's holiday crunch

10:14am Tuesday, December 02, 2003

by Lee Leonard Columbus Dispatch December 1, 2003 There’s something about December at the Statehouse, and it’s not just the holiday choirs performing each day in a main corridor or the lighting of the huge evergreen outside near Broad and High streets. It’s a sense of urgency to pass certain bills that have been lying around, in some instances, for months. Even in an odd-numbered year, when the...

Letter to the Editor: No such thing as 'Right to Know'

10:04am Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Sensing that House Bill 12 conference committee members were closing in on a compromise that would put a bill on his desk in November, Governor Taft employed his allies in the liberal media to inject a new issue into the debate, one that he had not seen fit to raise as a concern at any point during his five years in office. Several of Ohio's most liberal editorial boards jumped at the chance to...

Concealed-carry backers to march in Springfield

9:23am Tuesday, December 02, 2003

Springfield News Sun November 30, 2003 Dozens of armed supporters of the right to carry concealed guns plan to march through downtown Springfield on Sunday. Demonstrators will openly wear their handguns to protest the lack of resolve of Ohio legislators and Gov. Bob Taft to pass concealed-carry legislation. "We want to make sure people understand that we have the right to do this," said Thomas...

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Cincinnati Post: Homicides approaching record

9:11am Tuesday, December 02, 2003

November 29, 2003 It's been another brutal year on Cincinnati streets, with 2003's homicide rate approaching the 66 killings that tied a 15-year high last year. As of Friday, 61 people had been killed in Cincinnati. Although drugs are at the root of many of the slayings, there have been notable exceptions. One of the most infamous is the death of 81-year-old Lavern Jansen, whose killer followed...

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Gun permit applicants increasingly are women

8:55am Tuesday, December 02, 2003

December 2, 2003 The Tennessean Even after working several years as a prison guard, Twanda McCurry never felt the need to carry a gun for protection outside of work, and especially not after she went into a new business as an office manager at a bottling plant. Until about three weeks ago. That's when she decided to join the fast-growing number of Tennessee women who have permits to carry...

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Ohio draws bead on bill similar to Michigan concealed-gun law

11:43am Monday, December 01, 2003

by James Drew Toledo Blade Columbus Bureau Chief December 1, 2003 COLUMBUS - Since the Michigan law that made it easier for citizens to carry concealed handguns took effect in July, 2001, the number of permit holders has nearly doubled and crime has dropped. Backers of a bill that would give Ohio a similar law say the result - more armed law-abiding citizens and lower crime - could happen in Ohio...

Governor's Mansion Defense Walk: ''No Wonder He Doesn't Care''

9:22pm Sunday, November 30, 2003

by Chad D. Baus Behind the security cameras and tall iron gates, behind the stone walls and State Trooper Guard House, Bob and Hope Taft live in a stone mansion the likes of which few Ohioans will ever see, let alone live in. Over 120 men, women and children took time away from Thanksgiving events and braved the crisp autumn air November 30, openly carrying firearms on "the Mother of All Defense...

Supporters of Ohio House Bill 12 rally in Ashtabula

5:57am Sunday, November 30, 2003

Should Ohioans have the right to walk the streets packing a pistol? By MARK TUSCANO Ashtabula Star Beacon November 30, 2003 ASHTABULA — Whether law abiding Ohioans have the right to carry concealed weapons or not, has been an ongoing issue in the Ohio General Assembly this year. It has been a hard fought battle with grass roots support on both sides. On Saturday, those supporting their right to...