Letters to the Editor: People have right to self-defense

On December 13, the Findlay Courier printed two pro-CCW letters to the editor. Since the Courier does not offer it's opinions page online, click on the "Read More..." link below to read both letters.

People have right to protect selves

Soon, a concealed-carry bill may or may not be up for a vote. With all its new alterations, my opinion is not to pass such legislation.

With all its new restrictions, this sort of concealed-carry serves absolutely no purpose. According to new proposals, a permit holder cannot carry a loaded weapon on his person while driving. A carjacker is not going to allow his victim to get into his trunk and load up his gun, and therefore the carjacker is going to steal both the car and the gun. Brilliant!

Twelve hours of firearms training? I think that is an insult to all gun owners' intelligence. What makes anyone think cops have some sort of Jedi-like mastery of firearms could never hope to have, anyway?
Criminalizing carrying a firearm into a prohibited building effectively defeats the purpose of CCW altogether. This bill should not pass. Ohio's consideration for such garbage legislation shows extreme incompetence.

One more thing on this subject. Law enforcement officers seem so against it. Why should it matter that people who generally obey the law are armed? To assert that it makes your job harder shows you do not trust the public, at large.

Law enforcement officers are paid by our tax dollars. That means we are essentially their employers. With the exception of those who supported this bill, the remainder repay their employers by biting the hand that feeds them. In any other occupation, they would be terminated.

I find nothing good about the idea that we should have to beg the governor or law enforcement for the right to protect ourselves and our family. It is not the job of law enforcement to protect my family. I cannot sue anyone because the cops failed to protect my family or myself. That being true, I am also not permitted to take care of my life or my family's life, legally. With no means to protect ourselves, we are all prey to criminals. What's not right with this picture?

Damon M. Wiechman
Fostoria

Concealed-carry law should pass

In Wednesday's paper the police officer wrote about how he thinks we should not have the right to carry a gun.

Well, he is wrong, because in this day and age more people are carrying them without a license. I think it is time for the law to pass. The way things are now with everyone worried about someone setting off bombs, we need to have some way to protect ourselves. If the cops are so worried about who is carrying a gun, all they need to do is put in a computer or add it to your license. They are all the time in Findlay checking the computers when they are out. If they want to know where a good-looking woman lives they run her license number to check her out. They can find about anything they need to know on the computer.

The gun law is not going to stop anyone from carrying a gun if they want to carry it. I would be willing to bet the officer has checked a lot of cars that had a gun and didn't even know it. If you check, about one out of five cars going down Interstate 75 has a gun in it.

If the Highway Patrol is so worried about guns in cars, then I think they need to have it put on the computer when you get a license to carry a gun. I think if I was a cop, and got out of that kind of work, I would want to carry a gun because I may have made someone mad at me when I was a cop, and you never know anymore what someone may do. So I think the state needs to get off the high horse and sign it into law. It has my vote.

Gary Pingle
Findlay