Letter to the Editor: Armed citizens more apt to help themselves

Canal Winchester resident Steve Elsea has written an excellent letter to the editor about the need for concealed carry reform, which was published in Tuesday's Columbus Dispatch. Elsea points out how different things would be in Iraq if America's Second Amendment was law there, and steers back to how different things could be here in Ohio if our own state Constitution was recognized.

Click here to read the full letter in the Dispatch (subscription site - paid access only), or click on the "Read More..." link below for an archived version.

Armed citizens more apt to help themselves
Monday, April 28, 2003

If the now liberated people of Iraq had been unconditionally protected by the right to bear arms for their defense and security, the United States wouldn't have had to get involved. Saddam Hussein's brutal regime would have been dismantled from within.

Our own revolution would not have been possible without an armed citizenry.

Statistics have demonstrated that conceal-carry laws have reduced violent crime in states that have recognized their citizens' constitutional right to bear arms. The anti-gun arguments are just a smokescreen to support various political agendas.

Ohio's constitution provides residents the right to bear arms for their defense and security. So why are certain judges and politicians splitting hairs over who should or shouldn't be afforded this fundamental right?

STEVE ELSEA
Canal Winchester