[Native Gearhead]

As of today, our "lawmakers" have finally agreed to allow us law abiding Ohioians that are not insane to "conceal and carry" our firearms. The Ohio Conceal and Carry Law is now at the governors office awaiting his "promised" signature to make it official. Then 90 days later, we will be able to apply for permits with our county sheriff's offices.

There are a few provisos we have to read and agree to, and we also have to take (or have taken it in the past) at least 12 hours of handgun training. Then we get fingerprinted and cross-checked with the FBI database.

FINALLY...Ohio joins the rest of the majority of (wise) states that now have lower crime rates due to conceal and carry laws. Maybe our car insurance will go down too if crime rates go down.

This IS good news...ennit?

[hot_rod_kid]

Lemme guess, they said that guns can be dangerous. WE have has this law for nearly a year and nothing major like deaths have made the news. I thinks it's smart.

Also if you own a business and dont want to have them in your store, you hafta have a visible sign posted.


HRK

[38 special]

I'm very confused about this gearhead. Why do law abiding citizens need to carry guns? So they can use them and not be law abiding? I've never felt the need to carry one. If you do carry one then when are you allowed to use them? I'm not trying to rain on your parade just want to understand the need for such a law. I know in the old west it was more common but we're not on the frontier anymore. Just asking. I'm curious.

[ets1945]

I carried three guns in Vietnam.......haven't needed one since okokok....a couple times while driving in Houston, Texas

[68Impala]

It is designed so that innocent people can defend themselves from threats are ever growing these days. There are many rules to follow, and by that, I mean that the people who carry concealed weapons are of the most responsible. No one with a felony can possess one, no one who has had problems with guns in the past (even a misdeameanor) can carry one, and now this allows those rights that were secured 200+ years ago to be exercised - to show that people who do carry a concealed weapon are actually very knowledgeable people when it comes to firearms.

Oregon has always had C&C law, our requirement is a class, and not one person who I know (about 20 or so) who carries a gun has had any problems.

Call it - Life Insurance
68

[bowtienut]

it's a known fact conceal carry laws deter crime, Florida was one of the states that the overall violent crime rate decreased after passing the concealed carry law. take for instance, a lady in a parking lot that some thug is thinking about doing something bad to, no carry law, 98% chance she's unarmed, state with carry law the chance is much lower. the thug my think twice about doing his bad thing to this lady.

if this thug attacks the lady and she is armed and shoots the thug dead because she was in fear for her life, does this make her a criminal? I don't think so!

no it's not the old west, but in the old west no one went in the school, restaurant, movie house or any other public place and started shooting up the joint, because everyone had a gun and they would'nt have lasted long.

[poncho62]

Do you actually think that these "people with felonies " are going to say to themselves...."I have been bad, I am not allowed to carry a gun" Generally, the people with guns are the criminals.

Think about this. Say you thought that you were in danger and shot and killed someone. Turns out, you were not in danger and made a mistake. How would you feel?

In a perfect world, there is no reason to carry a gun.

Of course, its NOT a perfect world.

Personally, I think that is why we have police.

[bowtienut]

the police? the police are going to be there after the crime was commited, if you survived the incident you can give them a discription that fits millions of people. there are not enough police to be there all the time.

as far as using the weapon and you not being in danger, that is why there is training involed, ability, opportunity and intent must be present to justify the use of deadly force.

[trees]

You do not need a permit to carry a gun in plain view!!!! Notice that the key words are "carry concealed weapon". Now if you pack a pistol in plain sight, there can be a high level of excitement, but you can not be arrested for it because you are not breaking the law. I agree with some of the other posts. The concealed weapons laws have reduced violent crime rates. It makes the criminal element more cautious and less likely to act. I personally have carried a weapon on many occasions other than hunting trips. Examples are traveling alone over long distances, fishing the canals of Dade County, Fla at night alone, traveling to and from work when called out in the middle of the night and traveling thru some very high violent crime areas (no way to circumvent them). I have only picked up a gun with the possibility of having to use it one time. That defused the situation and thank goodness it was not used. Being retired military, I have had extensive weapons training including use of deadly force. Do I want or need a concealed weapons permit? No. Will I get one? No. Will I ever carry a weapon unconcealed again? Yes.

Trees

[38 special]

no it's not the old west, but in the old west no one went in the school, restaurant, movie house or any other public place and started shooting up the joint, because everyone had a gun and they would'nt have lasted long.


Heh heh, can you imagine going into McDonalds and a gunman comes in and a massive O.K. Corral shoot out occurs when half the restaurant customers whip out a gun and start shooting every man, woman and child in the building, cause stray bullets are flying eveywhere. Sure makes me feel safe.

[akm]

here's a few guns that we always have laying around the house. have about 50 more in the gun cabinet.
(HOME SECURITY)

[Carbed95GT]

My Bersa anxiously awaits! Seriously, I think the CCW is LOOOOOOOONG overdue. I don't plan on ever having to use the gun. I don't think anyone does. But what do you do in the event that some thug pulls a gun on YOU? Are you gonna fight the guy off with your bare hands, or would you rather know that you have a holster on your side, holding something that may save your life if ever that situation arises?

[M&M CUSTOM]

I have had a concealed weapons permit since I moved to Pennsylvania 12 years ago, and the ONLY reason is for hunting purposes.

Many times I have been out hunting and the weather has changed from snow or clear, to rain, and I refuse to have a $600 handgun made for hunting exposed to the elements for ANY longer than it has to be.
I also have a problem concealing it completely, as it's a S&W model 29 44 magnum with the 10-5/8" blue barrel, 6.5 pounds loaded.
In PA. if you even have part of your shirt cover the handgun while it is on your person, you had BETTER have a CWP permit or the weapon belongs to a branch of the PA. government, and you do too.
Same applies to anyone carrying a weapon that must be registered, if it isn't registered to you- you should NOT have it in posession, again they own the weapon and you.
Same with leaning a rifle or shotgun against a vehicle, loaded or not- they in the very least levy a hefty fine to you, and for all of these they initiate a hunting ban period lasting from 6 months to life.

[Native Gearhead]

To .38 Special...

There seems to be a little bit of irony to a screen name like "38 Special" and not being warm to the idea of carrying a weapon...lol!

But seriously, I respect your opinion, and I don't disrespect you because you don't approve of the law. I don't know if you live in the farmlands of Ohio or the city, but I live in the city "proper". Police response time for anything less than a shooting is a minimum of 2-3 hours here in Cleveland. There are only one or two "safe" neighborhoods in the city proper. The rest of it, including my neighborhood is very much like the "old west" and is high crime. Its mostly because of the drug trade, and I live just a few blocks from a projects area that is getting raided at least weekly.

When I got my first death threat, over ten years ago, I decided it was time to use my constitutional right to bear arms and protect myself and property. About a month ago, my nephew that lives with me, his ex-wife, started to get "stalked" by some punk-a$$ed "troll" as you like to say here, over the internet. Well she came over yesterday, and while they were at my home, and my son was there, but I was at work, some jerk decides to bust out my back door window. From what we've been able to put together, its this "cyber stalker." This diaper boy has also threatened to kill my nephew's kids as well as his ex.

All this to say, life for me in this city has always been rough, but I want to be sure that if anybody is on the wrong end of a gun, it ain't gonna be me. The new law doesn't let you carry a gun to a school, or a bar, or any other place that its common sense not to carry one in. Its also the same if a business owner doesn't want you with a gun in his store, hes got to post a sign.

I also don't know how much you been involved in the courts, but what I have seen, when I do the right thing, and anyone else for that matter, is that the criminal has more rights than the person he commits the crime against. He gets to sue you if he's injured committing the crime and he's injured. He gets to sue if the police don't give him any little break that he is entitled to, or if they get rough with him. He gets to commit any kind of crime short of murder or armed robbery here in Cleveland, and he has 2-3 hours to get away, and come back later that day and do the same thing. By the way, car jacking is a real popular sport here in the city too.

I look at it this way...now I have the right to protect myself from this kind of punk-a$$ed biotch because the lawman is too busy. Also, crime will fall, especially car jacking, when these good for nothing punks realize that someone might have more than a car "heater" at their disposal.

Well this is my opinion. Some might agree, others maybe not, but that's why I feel the way I do.

[Mr. Green]

Just look at Wa D.C. they have very low gun ownership and lots of police yet they still have a high crime rate whys that ??