Marion Star: Gun law means freedom to Waldo man

The Marion Star has published an interesting interview with one of the 301 Ohioans who have received a concealed handgun license in Marion County.

The CHL-holder, Dwight Cimino, is a veteran of the U.S. Navy, and served three tours in Vietnam.

The story begins like this:

When Dwight Cimino was almost 5, a drunken driver hit and killed his 21-month-old sister and left him with a scar between his eyes.

Cimino said in a free society people have power that they sometimes shouldn't.

"There are some folks out there, and they don't need firearms, but they have them, and there are some folks out there, and they don't need driver's licenses," Cimino said.

The semiautomatic Colt 45 that he carries on his hip is a privilege of what Cimino calls a free society.

It is hard not to wonder if the Star picked Cimino because of his answers to two questions: "How do you feel about the rules concerning carrying in a car?" and "How do you feel about the media having access to CHL-holders' personal information?"

Cimino told the Star he "he has no trouble following the [car carry] law", and "sees no harm [in the Media Access Loophole] as long as journalists use the list of permit-holders' names responsibly."

Although there will be varying opinions held by CHL-holders in our state on which parts of the law need to be fixed, polls of OFCC members and supporters have indicated that there is almost universal opposition to rules regarding CHL-holders' in motor vehicles, and on the media's access to CHL-holder's information.

Overall, however, the article gives an accurate portrayal addressing the "why" question:

He feels safer carrying a weapon and said everyone should be taught to be aware of their surroundings and responsible for themselves, something he learned serving in the Navy. Not only do permit-carrying gun holders feel safer, he said, but if a criminal is thinking of attacking a small woman for example, he could reconsider because the concealed carry law adds an element of doubt.