New law spurs sales, queries at gun show

February 08, 2004
Columbus Dispatch

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Jamie Shepard picked up the sleek, silver handgun and tested the weight of it
in her palm, grabbed it by the grip as if to shoot and excitedly called her
husband to the table.

"It's the perfect size for me. It's easy to conceal," said the petite 27-year-
old mother of two, clutching the .380-caliber semiautomatic handgun in one
hand and her month-old daughter with the other. "God forbid I have to use it."

At the Franklin County Fairgrounds yesterday, where shoppers had their choice
of everything from shotguns to military-style assault rifles to samurai
swords, one of the hottest sellers was handguns.

The smaller, the better.

With a new law allowing Ohioans to carry concealed handguns set to take effect
in April, about 300 people packed the bleachers and gathered around as a
Columbus lawyer gave a primer on the finer points of the law and answered
questions.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

"The handgun guys, they're selling them hand over fist," said gun show promoter Mike Duve.

Shepard, a West Sider, works third shift for a grocery store chain, and her
husband, George, a maintenance worker, frequently gets called away from home
at odd hours. Both said they will take comfort knowing she has the gun.

"I don't exactly live in the best neighborhood," George Shepard said. "Her
having this makes me feel a lot more at ease." Both plan to apply for a
permit.

An hour-long presentation by lawyer David Buda gave some people second
thoughts. Buda described the litany of sometimes tricky details. For example,
in a vehicle the firearm - which normally must be concealed - has to be kept
in plain view in a holster, he said, or locked in the glove compartment.

Georgia Parks, retired college professor and grandmother of two, remained
eager to apply.

Her commitment to self-defense was shaped in the early 1980s, when a man put a shotgun to her head and demanded money while her three school-age children
looked on, terrified.

At the time, she was teaching at the University of Nigeria in the war-torn
African nation.

"I didn't get frightened," the Delaware County woman recalled. "I was mad. I
was furious."

She vowed never to be a victim again.