Pro-Gun Punditry: Wednesday's Buckeye State Roundabout

There are more stories pertaining to our gun rights in Ohio then we can possibly draw attention to with individual daily commentary. But they are worthy of mention.

What follows is our weekly review of headlines from around the state though a pro-gun rights lens.

From at least two instances of persons being made victims by criminals who should have been in jail to the latest political moves in preparation for the May 2 primary, this article deserves be a part of your required reading!

Click on the "Read More..." link below for seven days of headlines accompanied by short, concise pro-gun analysis.

Wednesday in Columbus: Suspect in teen’s rape had been let out early

In the course of a few days last week, convicted rapist Charles S. Davis caught the attention of the state parole authority, was arrested and jailed twice in Marion County, and was sent to a hospital for a psychiatric evaluation. Police say he walked out of the hospital at 1:15 a.m. Saturday and, within 15 hours, returned to Columbus to abduct and rape a 15-year-old East Side girl. As the girl’s family and Davis clashed in court yesterday, those who dealt with him in recent weeks stood by their actions....Judge Harland H. Hale set bail at $10 million on rape and kidnapping charges. Davis was returned to the county jail. Police said Davis confronted the girl about 6 p.m. Saturday near East High School, forced her at knifepoint to walk roughly 2 miles to the Woodland Meadows apartment complex, and then held her in a vacant apartment until 10 a.m. Sunday. She was beaten, cut and raped. Davis was arrested at 1 a.m. Monday....Davis was sentenced in 1997 to seven years in prison for raping another teen. He was released in 2004 under five years of state supervision. Roger Wilson, administrator for the Adult Parole Authority’s Columbus region...said the parole authority was notified on Jan. 17 that Davis had been arrested on a traffic charge in Marion County. His office briefly put a "hold" on Davis but later dropped it because of the low-level offense. Marion County Municipal Court Bailiff Bill Waterman said..."It’s not uncommon for us to release people for a minor traffic infraction. It’s routine for us to reschedule the balance of their jail time after they get the treatment they need." Phyllis Butterworth, spokeswoman for the hospital, confirmed that Davis was assessed and released at 1:15 a.m. Saturday, but she said she could not comment further because of patient rights. "I hate to say no one dropped the ball, but we really didn’t," Waterman said. "It’s that one-out-of-a-million case. You just make the best decisions you can based on the information you have."

Gun grabbers say we should trust the authorities to keep us safe. But only you can protect you.

Wednesday in Columbus: Man died while looking for candy

James Clowers told his wife Saturday afternoon that he was going from his home in Crittenden south to the Dry Ridge Wal-Mart to pick up his favorite candy: fire-flavored Jolly Ranchers. That's the last time Kay Clowers, 54, saw her husband alive. He was gunned down while sitting in his minivan just after 4 p.m. adjacent to the Jacob Price housing project in Covington, more than 20 miles to the north. Assistant Chief Lt. Col. David Finan said residents in and near the subsidized-housing complex have not been cooperative with investigators trying to solve the homicide. Finan said there are no suspects. Now Clowers' daughter, Crystal Williams, wonders if her father was carjacked while searching for the hard-to-find candy. "He loved fire ranchers," Williams, 27, of Independence, said. "He would drive all the way to Fort Wright or Florence if the Dry Ridge store was out." Williams also wonders whether her father was trying to find the Alexandria Wal-Mart when he got in trouble....Clowers also was planning to return a rented DVD and buy a couple of items for his wife during his outing Saturday. "He called from his cell phone and asked if we needed anything else," Williams said. "My mom said, 'No,' and told him to be home in time for dinner. That's the last anyone heard from him."

Too many times CHL-holders will admit to only carrying "when they think they might need it". Too many times people don't find out they need it until too late.

Wednesday in Cincinnati: Clerk Shoots At Armed Robbery Suspect

Police say a drive-thru store clerk, fed up with recent robbery attempts, fought back Tuesday night. Around 9 p.m., he fired four shots toward a suspect at the Kwik-N-Kold in Springfield Township, located at 6244 Daly Road, police said. The clerk told police the robbery suspect, who was armed with a shotgun, took off in a tan Toyota Camry with the driver's side headlight out. Police say they're not sure if the clerk's shots hit the suspect, but hospitals were placed on alert for a gunshot victim. "A male black entered the business, he had a shotgun, he ordered the clerks to give him money, they gave up currency to him," said an officer at the scene. "He ran out the back and the clerk came around to the front of the building." Police say that's when the clerk fired at the suspect. They're still investigating whether the suspect also fired shots. Investigators will be looking surveillance tape from the store. An employee at this Kwik-N-Kold told 9News they've been robbed a few times over the past six months.

Yet another example of how guns save lives each and every day.

Wednesday in Dayton: Federal Charges Filed In Connection With Two Bank Robberies

A Carrollton, Ohio, woman is now facing federal charges in connection with two bank robberies. Kathleen Sams, 39, is facing several charges of armed robbery and use of a firearm during a crime of violence for allegedly robbing the Fifth Third Bank on Union Road in Englewood in January 2005. She was also charged with robbing a bank in Brookville. Sams was arrested in Perry Township, which is located west of Dayton. She is being held in the Montgomery County Jail.

Fifth Third Bank discriminates against its Ohio (and not other states!) customers by banning their right to self-defense, all in the name of safety. Lot of good those "no-guns" signs did on this criminal, and on keeping these employees and customers safe...

Wednesday in Columbus: Sheriff's Deputy Robbed At Gunpoint

A Franklin County sheriff's deputy learned late Tuesday night what it is like to be a robbery victim. Shortly after 11 p.m., 24-year-old Dustin Randall, who was off duty, took money out of an ATM at National City Bank, located at 2941 Olentangy River Road. A man approached the deputy and asked him for directions, then lifted his shirt, showing a gun.
The robber then demanded money from the deputy, police said. According to police, the robber drove away in a blue Ford Escort that has a dent on the side. The deputy was not hurt, NBC 4 reported.

Currently in Ohio, many law-enforcement jurisdictions do not authorize their officers to carry a firearm when off-duty. To do so, these officers must obtain a CHL and observe the restrictions a CHL-holder must follow. HB347 would change the law, and allow law enforcement officers the ability to carry 24-7.

Thursday in Cincinnati: Terror in Hyde Park

A man wearing a ski mask broke into an 89-year-old woman’s Madison Road apartment late Wednesday night and robbed her of cash and jewelry. Police said the man broke a basement window to get into the apartment building in the2600 block of Madison Road about 11:55 p.m. He used a pry bar to force open the victim’s apartment door and confronted her with a gun, police said. "He pointed a gun at her and demanded cash, ’’Cincinnati police Detective Tina Ziegler said today. “He searched all through her apartment.” The burglar, who did not hurt the woman, fled with $200 in cash and a diamond ring and diamond bracelet valued at $900. “He spent approximately 45 minutes in the apartment,’ Ziegler said. “He never once touched her. He never threatened to hurt her. Physically, she’s OK.” The burglar searched the entire apartment, including her purse, but did not take the woman’s credit cards. “He was just looking for cash,” Ziegler said. The burglar seemed to believe that his victim had a large amount of cash in the apartment. “She said that he was frustrated she didn’t have more cash,’’ the detective said. “She said he seemed disgruntled.” At one point, he told the woman that he knew she kept money in her glasses case, which she does not, Ziegler said. The victim wonders why he would have thought that, the detective said. “She said his voice did not sound familiar.” The victim has lived in the apartment building for 42 years and regularly goes to store and bank in the neighborhood, Ziegler said. Perhaps the burglar had followed her home on some occasion, she said. “He chose her apartment,’’ the detective said. Ziegler, who has worked in Hyde Park for 10 years, called the crime -- a home -invasion aggravated burglary -- “highly unusual’ for the neighborhood. Burglaries usually occur when no one is at home, she said.

Examples of criminals specifically targeting certain victims whom they know or believe have something they way are common, yet the media mocks the idea that thieves who want guns could use lists of CHL-holders as shopping lists. It is highly possible this criminal also knew the victim was unarmed and unable to defend herself, which would explain his boldness in invading her home while she was there.

Thursday in Toledo: Police Warn of Crime Outside Daycare Centers

If you take your children to daycare, you need to pay attention to this story. Local daycare providers and police are concerned about car break-ins that are happening while parents are dropping off their kids. Any parent who uses daycare will tell you it's easy to become distracted. You've got your hands full with a diaper bag, the car carrier, and the process of bringing the kids inside. That's why some people leave other valuables behind, but police say that's the big mistake, even if you're only gone for a couple of minutes. Parent Dee Cottrell sums it up this way. "It's just a terrible inconvenience," she said. On Tuesday morning, Cottrell dropped off her 5-year-old granddaughter at the Stay and Play Daycare and locked her minivan. Dee was only inside for a few minutes, and couldn't believe her eyes when she returned to her Dodge Caravan. A window was smashed open and Dee's purse was stolen, along with her credit cards, gift cards and Medicare cards. "Who would think that in two minutes of taking a small child in a glass door and down a set of stairs and back up that your car would be robbed?" said Cottrell. The director of Stay and Play says there was a similar case earlier this month here, but this facility is not alone. "One of our competitors, not too far down the road, is having it happening at their center also," said Marcia Fifer, director of Stay and Play....Daycare workers and police are warning parents to not leave valuables inside your car and be on the lookout for suspicious people because a smash and grab only takes a few seconds. "People that are wandering around the parking lots maybe don't have the business with the center and they need to be observed and at least acknowledged that someone is keeping an eye on them," said Fifer.

Ohio lawmakers listened to gun ban extremists and mandated that CHL-holders who pick up their children at daycare must leave their firearms outside in their cars. It is only a matter of time before firearms turn up among the list of items stolen in pattern crimes such as these. The safest place for a firearms is concealed and in the possession of its owner.

Friday in Columbus: Man wanted on rape charges dies after East Side shooting

Victalio Matheny, 26, died after being shot on the East Side early yesterday, the latest in a string of crimes that prompted two neighborhood associations to call a meeting last night. "How do we get back to a community where it is safe for me to walk at 2 or 3 in the morning if I wanted to, without having to worry about flying bullets, (or) someone driving by and accosting me?" asked Sharon L. Ware, a member of the Thunderbird Acres Neighborhood Association. Dumas said Matheny was shot shortly after someone called him on the phone around 3 a.m. He left their apartment at 4083 Larry Place and went to the duplex next door. Sgt. Dana Norman of the Columbus police homicide squad said Matheny was found just inside 4087 Larry Place. He had been shot repeatedly in the upper body. "We have no motive right now for this homicide," Norman said early yesterday. There were no arrests. Dumas said Matheny was anxious after the call. She said she overheard an argument outside about money, then gunshots. "It was a robbery, too," she said. "They took his stuff." Matheny had a criminal record, and police had been seeking him since December on a warrant charging him with three counts of rape, court records show. Those charges accused him of attacking a 10-year-old girl. Ware said members of her association and the Leawood Gardens Walnut Ridge Neighborhood Association have grown increasingly alarmed by recent crimes. The area is roughly bounded by Livingston Avenue, I-70, Elaine Road and Walnut Ridge High School. Yesterday’s homicide was the second in the area since last Friday and the city’s 10 th this year. "In the last two or three years, it’s just slowly been slipping," she said. "It’s like we couldn’t do enough to stay on top of it."

Accused violent criminal becomes victim of crime. Neighborhood wants to know how to make their neighborhood safe for late-night walks again. They should look to Kennesaw, GA, where every resident is required to own a firearm, and where crime has stayed at historic lows.

Saturday in Columbus: Franklin County's Ron O'Brien won't run against Auditor Betty Montgomery

Franklin County Prosecutor Ron O'Brien has abandoned his campaign for Ohio attorney general. O'Brien, a Republican, said Friday that he was forced to re-evaluate his candidacy in light of Auditor Betty Montgomery's entry into the race. Montgomery announced Wednesday that she was ending her campaign for governor to run instead for attorney general, a job she held from 1995 through 2002. ``I have concluded that it is in the best interests of both myself and the Ohio Republican Party to avoid a divisive primary for the nomination for attorney general,'' O'Brien said. Ohio Sen. Tim Grendell of Chesterland, the other Republican seeking the office, earlier this week blasted Montgomery for entering the race as a ``consolation prize'' for abandoning the governor's race, and called on O'Brien to stay in it. But O'Brien urged Grendell ``to also consider withdrawing from that race in the interests of party unity.'' Ohio Republican Party Chairman Bob Bennett praised O'Brien's decision. ``Ron recognizes that political primaries are divisive. He is also a longtime supporter of Betty Montgomery and has tremendous respect and admiration for her previous service as attorney general. His decision was a selfless one, and not an easy one to make. But Ron O'Brien made his choice for the good of the Republican Party,'' Bennett said.

Suspicious, isn't it, that Mr. O'Brien went from being miffed that Montgomery lied to him about her intentions to supporting her candidacy in just two days? The Ohio Republican Party's support for the anti-self-defense Betty Montgomery continues to be deeply disturbing. Buckeye Firearms Association applauds Sen. Tim Grendell for refusing requests that he step aside to allow Montgomery to play campaign musical chairs.

Saturday in Grove City: Suspect Sought In Rash Of Armed Robberies

After a rash of armed robberies in the past two weeks, Grove City police are searching for a suspect. Grove City police said armed thieves have targeted local businesses, brandishing knives and guns or implying that they have them, in at least eight robberies in the past two weeks. Police believe at least two of the robberies are related. Police have an arrest warrant for Raymont Bell, who they said robbed a Speedway station on Broadway on Jan. 13. Police said Bell showed the clerk a knife and demanded money and cigarettes before, witnesses said, he made off in a white minivan with green stripes. Police also suspect Bell of robbing a Speedway station the following day on Stringtown Road, where the clerk said the robber actually bought beer and then returned 15 minutes later with a knife to demand the cash in the register. In a separate incident, a man went around the counter of the G.C. Mart on Stringtown Road while the clerk's back was turned and told her, "I have a gun and I will use it," police said. The man took more than $400. A surveillance video captured another incident at Graeter's. Several employees were trying to leave the store when, police said, two men armed with a handgun and a knife pushed them back inside and duct-taped their eyes, hands and legs before robbing the store. Police have issued a crime warning, asking local businesses to stay on the alert.

Just how do gun ban extremists think will taking my gun away protect them from people like this?

Monday in Dayton: Man sought in connection with fatal shooting

Dayton police are searching for a man in connection with a fatal shooting late Sunday outside a drive-through business. Antwane Cochran is armed and a threat to anyone who encounters him, Dayton police said Monday. Police said Cochran, 20, is a person of interest who may have some information about a the shooting outside of Christy's Drive-Thru, 2326 W. Third St., that left a Trotwood man dead. The Montgomery County Coroner's Office identified the man as 28-year-old Kenyatta Junies. The shooting occurred at at 10:13 p.m Sunday., Detective Cayce Cantrell said. "Cochran has a history of violent unprovoked shootings. He is known to wear body armor and is armed, violent and a threat to anyone he encounters," Cantrell said. Junies was a customer in front of the business when he was shot in the chest, Lt. John Bardun said. He was taken to Miami Valley Hospital, where he died shortly after, Bardun said. The man who shot Junies, along with another person, fled the scene, Bardun said.

Is it just us, or do others who read this wonder what a person who police know "has a history of violent unprovoked shootings" is doing on the street. Oh, and once again, the media failed to report on whether or not this person has a concealed handgun license...

Tuesday in Cleveland: DeWine coffers far ahead of Democrat challengers'

Money doesn't always determine the winner, but it gives Sen. Mike DeWine a big advantage 10 months before voters decide whether to keep him or oust him. The Ohio Republican raised nearly $1 million for his re-election campaign in the last quarter of 2005, new campaign finance records show, giving him a treasury of $4.3 million and nearly a year to raise more. The two Democrats vying in the May primary to oppose DeWine not only trail the incumbent, but one of them, U.S. Rep. Sherrod Brown, commands a treasury 10 times the size of his competitor, attorney and Marine reservist Paul Hackett.

Money isn't everything. In 2004, pro-gun Republican John Mitchell garned __% of the vote against incumbent and anti-self-defense Senator George Voinovich. Mitchell is running again this year, but is not mentioned in the story.

Tuesday in Ashtabula: NE Ohio conservative joins GOP treasurer's race

Ashtabula County Auditor Sandra O'Brien, a conservative Republican, will run for state treasurer. She will challenge incumbent Jennette Bradley in the May 2 primary. O'Brien says that being Republican is about all the women have in common. "I'm pro-life. Jennette is pro-choice. I am pro-Second Amendment rights. I am pro-family values, in the sense that I believe that a marriage is a sacred relationship between a man and woman," O'Brien said. "I believe when [primary voters] look at both of us, the majority will choose myself and choose the values of our party," O'Brien said Monday. Bradley, Gov. Bob Taft's former lieutenant governor and past director of the Department of Commerce, was appointed treasurer last year after Joe Deters resigned to become Hamilton County prosecutor. Taft's selection of Bradley as his running mate in 2002 caused a rift in the party, with some feeling she was too liberal....The Ohio Republican Party endorsed Bradley last weekend.

There seems evidence in both major parties of battles for the heart and soul of the party between conservatives and "moderates" in the GOP, and between liberals and "moderates" in the Democrat's party. Contested primaries are a healthy thing. April 3 is the last day to register to vote in the May 2 primary. Since fewer people vote in primaries, your vote is that much more powerful. Make sure you are eligible to vote for the future of your party, and to protect gun rights for all Ohioans.

Tuesday in Chillicothe: Woman charged after sneaking gun into jail

A Cleveland woman is in the custody of the Chillicothe Police Department after smuggling a gun into the Ross County Jail. Victoria Lundy, 41, is facing a long list of charges, including driving under suspension, improperly discharging a weapon, illegal conveyance of a weapon and carrying a concealed weapon. According to reports, police officers were answering a call of possible shots fired on Warner Avenue Sunday evening when Lundy and two passengers in her vehicle were questioned. All three denied knowing anything of the possible shooting, and Lundy was arrested for driving under suspension. After being transferred to the Ross County Jail, officers found Lundy still had a gun on her after it went off in the holding cell. Another woman in the cell said Lundy used the bathroom several times, and when Lundy sat on the bench, the gun went off. No one was injured. While checking the gun, Officer Jonathan Robinson observed “it had off-white-colored liquid substance on the gun with red specks. It appeared to be consistent with vaginal fluid.” Police said Lundy eventually admitted to the shooting on Warner Avenue, saying she got into an argument and shot the gun twice in the air. She was later transferred to Adena Regional Medical Center to receive treatment for pills she swallowed while trying to hide them from the police. A court date will be set when she is released.

Another criminal without a license carrying illegally in a motor vehicle. Another gun in a "no-guns" zone. Or...make that two "no-guns" zones...

Wednesday from Columbus: Ohio Policeman Named NRA Law Enforcement Officer of the Year

The National Rifle Association has named Officer James D. Niggemeyer, of the Columbus (Ohio) Division of Police, as its 2005 Law Enforcement Officer of the Year. Officer Niggemeyer was one of several officers who responded to a violent, chaotic situation on the night of December 8, 2004. A little after 10:00 p.m., 911 operators began receiving multiple panic-stricken calls from a local nightclub. During a concert, a man had rushed the stage and fired shots at the band. In moments, seven people were wounded, four fatally. Officer Niggemeyer, patrolling just blocks away, was the first officer to arrive on the scene, less than three minutes after the first 911 call was received. Niggemeyer entered the building through the rear; five more officers arrived momentarily and entered through side doors. Dead and wounded citizens lay on the floor, shots were still being fired, and several hundred people were trying to escape. Despite the chaos, Officer Niggemeyer was able to spot the gunman quickly, near the rear of the stage. Retreating from the other officers, the suspect had grabbed a hostage, immobilized him in a headlock, and was holding a gun against the man's temple. Positioning himself about 20 feet from the suspect, Niggemeyer, armed with a 12 gauge Remington 870, was able to get off one well-placed shot, killing the gunman instantly and ending the carnage. The gunman still had 35 rounds of ammunition when Niggemeyer shot him. Commenting on Officer Niggemeyer, NRA 1st Vice President John C. Sigler, a retired police captain and now an attorney practicing in Maryland and Delaware, said, "It isn't every day that an officer is faced with a decision like this. NRA's Officer of the Year made the right decision under the most adverse conditions and relied on his training and experience to save the life of an innocent civilian victim. No one can doubt his dedication to duty or his willingness to take responsibility for his actions. In today's society, law enforcement officers of this caliber must be recognized and commended. NRA commends this officer for a tough job well done."

When a violent criminal attacks like this, only a good guy with a gun can stop the terror. Unfortunately for some of the victims, Ohio law necessitated that they wait for three minutes for a good guy to arrive, because the security and at least one CHL-holder in the room had been disarmed under a state law that did nothing to deter the bad guy.