Letter to the Editor: The facts on concealed-carry law

July 11, 2004
Toledo Blade

One woman's recent Forum letter bemoaning the new concealed-carry law and predicting doom and gloom is a shining example of people drawing conclusions based on their own bias and remaining blindly ignorant to the facts.

Fact: Almost every state now has a concealed-carry law; Ohio is one of the last. In no state have firearms crime or accidental shootings increased. In fact, they have decreased. (FBI Crime Statistics)

Fact: There was no "forcing concealed-carry upon all Ohioans without our ability to voice our opposition at the ballot box." The measure was passed because enough Ohioans told their representatives and senators they wanted it passed.

Apparently, not enough people were opposed to it, or if they were, they didn't take the time to communicate it to Columbus. If they are not motivated enough to take the time to communicate their wishes to elected officials, what makes you think they would bother to vote?

Fact: Gun prohibitions do not work. At least not for criminals. And, by definition, they are the people who commit the crimes. Posting many public places such as parks and businesses (including their parking lots) as no-gun zones simply guarantees criminals that their law-abiding victims in these environs will be unarmed. The net effect is to make the area more dangerous to law-abiding citizens instead of safer.

I certainly respect the earlier letter writer's choice to "live without a gun." However, 15 years experience of a reasonable approach to the right of personal defense in the vast majority of the country has proven that the populace has little to fear from law-abiding armed citizens.

I would expect that she, Mayor Ford, and others would extend that same respect to citizens who chose to be armed in compliance with the law.

Richard B. Iott
Monclova