People lining up for concealed carry licenses

March 14, 2004
Willoughby News Herald

Lynn Whipple believes the bumper sticker on his 1986 Toyota pickup truck says it all:

"If guns kill people, then spoons make Rosie O'Donnell fat."

Whipple, an 81-year-old Painesville man who wears a yellow ribbon on his sweater vest to support the troops overseas, said the concealed-weapons law that will go into effect April 8 in Ohio is a long time coming.

The law will allow gun owners who pass a background check to holster and hide handguns so long as they successfully complete 12 hours of firearms safety training, including two hours on a firing range.

"This idea that guns kill people is rather silly," said Whipple, who has been firing weapons since he was 8 years old. "You've got to defend yourself. People don't stop and think that a police officer is not going to be there holding your hand if something goes wrong. There are many instances where women have saved themselves from rape because they were armed."

Whipple, a former unarmed security guard who spent three years in the U.S. Air Force, said his own handgun is probably what saved the lives of himself, his wife and their three young children 35 years ago.

"When the kids were little, a guy broke into the house about 1 in the morning," he said. "I instructed him rather forcefully that this was not acceptable behavior. Once he was looking into the other end of that handgun, it was amazing the calming effect it had on him. I scared him enough that he was never involved in anything else afterwards. If I wouldn't have had that handgun, I'm 90 percent sure something would have happened."

Whipple is but one of thousands of people locally who plan to get a permit to carry a concealed weapon.

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

Dan Brothers, who co-owns Brass Tactics Firearms & Accessories in Eastlake, said more than 600 people have signed up so far for classes at his facility. The classes can host only 10 students at a time and are taught by actual police officers.

"The people who are signing up are not just regular gun enthusiasts," Brothers said. "They are husbands and wives who are taking the class together. We've got a mom and her four daughters taking it for protection. Lately, we've been getting more women calling. But people have been coming in from all walks of life. That's what surprised me."

He added that gun sales are steadily increasing as April 8 approaches.

"We're selling more concealment-type holsters and more small, lightweight firearms - the concealment-type guns," Brothers said.

Jim Rydell, a firearms instructor at Lakeland Community College in Kirtland, said he has authorized 12 concealed carry certificates through the one class he has taught so far. Four were to women.

"The types of people applying aren't drooling, camo-covered maniacs," Rydell said. "They're average people trying to do the right thing."

Anyone hoping to apply for a concealed carry permit must do so through a local sheriff's office.

Geauga County Sheriff Daniel C. McClelland said his office receives calls daily about the application process - despite the fact that Ohio sheriffs have yet to receive any applications from state officials, which could hold things up for would-be permit holders.

"What the public doesn't know is that although the law goes into effect April 8, the state has 30 days after that to develop the rules and another 30 days to put the rules into effect," McClelland said.

This means those hoping to carry concealed weapons may have to wait until as late as June 8 to do so.

Chief Deputy Charles Corral of the Cuyahoga County Sheriff's office said he doesn't mind a bit if there's a delay.

"I have to abide by the law," Corral said. "But personally, it's a concern. It just means more people with guns. And I have a concern with more people with guns."

State Sen. Eric Fingerhut, D-Shaker Heights, agrees.

"People will turn nonviolent situations into violent situations and innocent people will be hurt," he said. "The background check process in Ohio is very inadequate and doesn't contain any mental illness records. A very high percentage of gun crimes involve people experiencing mental illness."

Fingerhut said he encourages property owners to post signs that they don't allow loaded weapons on their premises.

"The training that is needed to know when to pull a gun is the type of training that very few people have," the senator said. "Our law enforcement officers receive hundreds of hours of training, and even then, they sometimes make mistakes."

For the full concealed-carry weapons law, visit the Ohio Attorney General's Web site at www.ag.state.oh.us.

Commentary:
Cuyahoga Co. Sheriff's office Chief Deputy Corral and State Sen. Eric Fingerhut need to get out more. Perhaps take a trip across state lines to Michigan, where their baseless fears have been proven wrong for two years and counting, or to Indiana, where people have been obtaining CHLs for nearly 70 years without ANY required training.

Geauga Co. Sheriff McClelland needs to check back in with the Ohio Attorney General's office, which is not indicating that there will be a significant delay in implementation of the law. In fact, the OAG has just released the long-awaited Concealed Carry Training Pamphlet. OFCC is communication with this office on an almost-daily basis, and they continue to work towards an April 8 implementaiton date.