Law-abiding citizens respond to drug war explosion in southern Ohio by purchasing firearms and licenses to carry concealed

[Editor's Note: The following article was written by long-time leader at Buckeye Firearms Association, who lives in the area recently depicted by the media as an area where an escalating drug war has forced a "it's kill or be killed" environment.]

by Rick Jones

Seems the days of the unlocked front doors are gone forever! I can remember as a child in my Southern Ohio home that we, as well as many of the neighbors very seldom locked their doors at night. Oh the days gone by of feeling totally safe in one's own home. How I truly miss that feeling. Today there are gated communities, home security systems, house watchers, fences, animal home protectors and other ways to keep an eye on our castles to help prevent intruders.

Now in the city of "ground zero" of drug use, crime is about the worst anyone in the area has ever seen. The use of drugs, the selling of drugs and everything else related to drugs and their use has now brought fear into the hearts and lives of the citizens of Ohio. The addiction of and use of drugs requires money, and lots of it. The easiest way to obtain money for the drug user is to sell various items of value. Only one problem here, the user usually has no job or items of value. So to sell items of value they have to steal those valuable items from the home of an honest citizen whether it be from armed robbery or the breaking and entering of a citizens home. This often puts innocent lives at risk.

For many years the citizens of Ohio were told that in case of a break in, you must retreat when anyone forcibly enters your home. Now with the hard work of BFA and the cooperation of our elected officials we can "stand our ground" and protect ourselves and our family members without the fear of being sued, arrested, or taken to court to prove our innocence.

How is one going to handle an attacker or a group of attackers? The most common way to defend ourselves is with the use of a firearm. Perhaps this is the reason why there was a 13.6% increase in the number of background checks done through the government for the purchase of a firearm in February. I've recently spoken with a couple of local area gun shop owners and was told that the month of February was "just like the Christmas shopping season" and that "February was the busiest month we've ever had." So, the honest citizen in now refusing to allow intruders and such to ruin their lives and are now willing to stand their ground and protect themselves because they now know that, "when seconds count, the police are just minutes away."

The amount of CHL training classes in the area seems to be off the wall also. More and more people are willing to jump through the hoops and get the concealed handgun license. Now I'm not saying everyone should just go out and buy a firearm, but there is a procedure one should think about and go through. Before purchasing a firearm I recommend training, applying for your CHL and more ongoing training.

Choosing to use a firearm for protection is a very personal matter of choice. If you don't currently have a plan on how to protect yourself, family and your home I suggest that you get one in place as soon as possible. The average person never knows who it might happen to next.

Rick Jones is a Buckeye Firearms Region Leader.