Thousands and thousands in Ohio await conceal-carry licenses

Ohio's media outlets are ramping up on coverage of the impending implementation of Ohio's new concealed carry reform law.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for a long list of links to Ohio media coverage.

Channelcincinnati.com (Ch. 5 WLWT): Applications Available Next Week
Applications will become available April 8, and if the rolls of those signed up to take classes are any indication, the measure could be far more popular than originally thought. More than 10,000 residents are expected to apply, and that's just in Hamilton County.

Cincinnati Enquirer: Police prepare for rush of concealed-carry applications
With the date of Ohio's new concealed carry law quickly approaching, hundreds of people in Clermont County are gearing up to apply for permits to legally carry concealed firearms.

"We've given out almost 200 applications today already," Clermont County Sheriff A.J. Rodenberg said Monday, the first day his office made applications available. "People could come by and pick them up."

Cincinnati's WCPO.com (ABC Ch. 9): Local Gun Advocates Gear Up For New Rules
"The demand has been overwhelming," said Charlie Gilbert, manager, Target World.

Gilbert is a manager at Target World in Sharonville which has given the required classes six days a week since the ohio legislature passed the concealed carry law.

"We probably have about 500 to 600 students who have successfully completed the Ohio mandated course," Gilbert said.

Mt. Vernon News: Permits will be available April 8
In a move sure to excite advocates of Ohio’s upcoming concealed carry law, the Ohio Attorney General’s office recently said permit applications will be available to the general public on April 8, the day the law goes into effect.

James Canepa, chief of the Criminal Justice Division of the Ohio Attorney General’s office, said the office has been working hard with the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association, and, as a result, county sheriffs will have the permit applications ready at their offices on April 8.

Canepa said that on April 8, county sheriffs will have internal review process forms, the format for the permit identification card, and temporary and permanent permit applications.

Port Clinton News Herald: Concealed weapons permit applications now available
Applications for concealed weapons permits are available from 8 to 4:30 p.m. weekdays at the Ottawa County Sheriff's Office. They can be picked up at the office's main desk on the third floor of the Ottawa County Courthouse, or go to www.ottawacountysheriff.org.

Steubenville's WTOV9.com: Harrison County Gets A Concealed Carry Lesson
Bryan Hoover from the Muskingum County Sheriff's Department has been on a tour of Ohio explaining the concealed carry law that will go into effect on April eighth. On that date, county sheriffs will begin taking applications from citizens who have passed ten hours of classroom study and two hours on the shooting range. They'll do background checks, and begin letting Ohioans carry concealed handguns.

One concern for citizens is that these guns will fall into the wrong hands, Norman Doyle has been an National Rifle Association instructor for thirty years, and he disagrees.

"Everywhere that the conceal and carry law has went in the crime rate has fallen. That's a fact," says Doyle.

"I think its very important that the good citizens of the counties and the states carry it, because the bad guys already do. That way the bad guys will wonder if they're going to do something, 'does he or doesn't he?' Well he'll find out."

Wooster Daily Record: Concealed carry permit process begins
In less than two weeks, the lifelong dream of many Ohio gun owners will be realized. On April 8, qualified residents may start applying for a permit to carry a concealed handgun.

“For many of years a number of Ohio citizens have expressed a desire to carry concealed weapons as a way of protecting themselves from being the victim of violent crimes,” said Capt. Doug Hunter of the Wayne County Sheriff’s Office. “Now, there is a provision in the law to issue [licenses].”

Zanesville Times Recorder: Sheriff unveils county's concealed carry plan
The new concealed carry law goes into effect next week, and the Muskingum County Sheriff's Office has had to change some plans in order to accommodate applicants.

Sheriff Bob Stephenson said the department originally had planned on directing applicants to the sheriff's building on Adamsville Road for all processing. However, the construction at that site is not complete.

Instead, the sheriff's office rented the lobby space on the first floor of the building in which the sheriff's administrative offices are located, for about $2,000 a month.

The area, at 28 N. Fourth St. across from the courthouse, holds 25 to 30 people.