Letter to the Editor: Let us exercise our gun rights

Word is obviously getting out about Taft's "Car-jacker Protection" provision. This Celina parent is concerned with the potential for criminals to profile cars when children are on board.

Lima News
July 3, 2003

Is anyone else concerned that the Ohio State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police are effectively dictating the fate of concealed-carry legislation in Ohio? This is legislation that is in effect in 44 states in one form or another, and is supported by the Buckeye State Sheriff's Association. It would allow law-abiding citizens to exercise their Second Amendment right to defend themselves and their family from the criminal elements among us.

The Ohio State Highway Patrol leadership tells us that, statistically speaking, weapons in cars makes their job more dangerous, but are unable to produce even one instance of an officer being assaulted by a permit-holder with a weapon in any of those 44 states. The FOP wants the affirmative defense clause removed from current law, which protects law-abiding citizens from being prosecuted for carrying a concealed weapon while breaking no law.

The House of Representatives passed a fairly good piece of legislation on concealed-carry reform to the Senate, but, by the time the Senate got through changing it to appease the highway patrol and FOP, it was no longer reform.

If the highway patrol and FOP get their ways, we may as well paint a target on our cars when we are transporting our children. When will these people begin to realize that it isn't the law-abiding citizen they have to worry about, it's the criminal that already breaks every law in their way? If these people are afraid of law-abiding citizens being able to defend themselves, what is their goal?

TERRY JEFFRIES
Celina

Click here to read the letter in the Lima News.