In God We Trust…..Semper Fi
Posted on 11/03/2003 10:20:10 AM PST by MissTargets
YOUNGSTOWN — Carol Sell stood on Federal Plaza with a .22-caliber revolver strapped to her waist.
"I believe law-abiding citizens have the right to carry a concealed weapon to defend ourselves, especially as a woman," said Sell, of Champion.
She was one of 55 participants in the Youngstown Defense Walk, organized to elicit support for state legislation that would allow Ohio residents to carry concealed firearms.
Ohio law already permits individuals to carry firearms openly, and that was one point of Saturday's march along Front and Market streets, said organizer Rick Kaleda of Hazelwood Avenue.
Kaleda is a pistol and personal protection instructor, certified by the National Rifle Association. He is also Mahoning County coordinator for Ohioans for Concealed Carry.
The Youngstown walk is one of eight being held across Ohio to draw attention to pending concealed-carry legislation, Kaleda said.
Others set
Other walks today are set for 1 p.m. in Alliance and 1:30 p.m. in Findlay.
Kaleda said his group wants people to know that they are already permitted by law to carry a firearm, as long as it is in plain view, and most of those attending the walk had side arms clearly visible.
Carrying one under a coat or in a pocket is illegal under current law. That could change with legislation pending in Columbus.
The House and Senate have passed different versions of concealed-carry bills, and a conference committee has been formed to iron out the differences, said state Sen. Marc Dann of Liberty, D-32nd, who met the walkers on Federal Plaza.
Dann, who said he is generally supportive of concealed-carry legislation and voted for the Senate version, is a member of the conference committee. He said he wants to hear various points of view before the committee begins its work Nov. 10.
Background checks, training
Both bills would require a background check and some training before a concealed-carry permit would be issued by a county sheriff, and Dann said he would like to see some of that training deal with teaching people when to use a firearm, not just how to use it.
Kaleda said his group supports the House version, which is less stringent regarding firearms in vehicles and carrying a concealed firearm while going through the permit process.
"At this moment, this is the safest corner in Youngstown," said John Bailey of Austinburg in Ashtabula County, as the group gathered at Front and Vindicator Square to begin its march.
Bailey attended the event with his wife, Hillary, and their two daughters, Jenna and Victoria. He wore a Kimber .40-caliber semiautomatic on his hip.
A concealed-carry law would "level the playing field between the criminals and the victims," Bailey said.
Current law puts citizens at a disadvantage because criminals don't obey the laws, he said.
"We feel that people should have the right to carry firearms for self-defense," said James Denney, president of the Mahoning County Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, which represents about 1,200 members.
Denney said 45 states have versions of concealed-carry laws and haven't had an increase in violent crimes as a result.
Police chief's view
Youngstown Police Chief Robert E. Bush Jr. signed the permit allowing the Defense Walk, but he's not a supporter of any concealed-carry law.
Bush viewed the walk from across Front Street, standing next to an officer videotaping the event. Although some walkers said they thought the taping was intimidating, Bush said it is common practice at a march, rally or other event.
Giving people the right to carry concealed weapons would increase the danger to citizens and police, Bush said.
Backers of the legislation say it would be safer for citizens because criminals wouldn't be able to tell who was carrying a firearm and who wasn't. Bush, however, said that would likely have an adverse effect.
Criminals would be more inclined to approach victims with a higher level of violence, fearing their intended victims might be armed, the chief said.
"This isn't the Wild West," Bush said, adding that a criminal isn't going to give a victim an opportunity to pull a gun.
William Goodwin, a senior geology and chemistry major at Kent State University who attended the walk with a Glock Model 34 9mm strapped to his leg, had a different viewpoint.
"I feel I need to protect myself from crime," he said, adding that a concealed-carry law would give him that ability.
In God We Trust…..Semper Fi
In God We Trust…..Semper Fi
I can believe that. Based on the level of fear expressed by liberals, they probably all arranged to be out of town.
This is the greatest comment.
All three TV stations had coverage. I had a feeling they would single me out, being a woman. They did.
About 60 gun-toting men and women paraded around the Statehouse yesterday, but the object of their demonstration was missing in action.
Proponents of a law permitting Ohioans to carry concealed firearms walked the perimeter of the Statehouse several times displaying holstered weapons and ammunition — seeking to show that it’s more disconcerting to see a citizen with a gun than it would be if the firearm were hidden.
An Ohio House-Senate conference committee on House Bill 12 was to have met, but the meeting was postponed until next week.
Legislative sessions were canceled to allow members to attend funeral services for the late House Minority Leader Corwin M. Nixon of Lebanon.
The gun walk, which also has taken place in Gahanna, Cincinnati and Manchester, was peaceful.
Gerard Valentino of Pickerington, rally organizer and a representative of Ohioans for Concealed Carry, said the purpose was to show lawmakers that unless they pass House Bill 12, "the option they leave us is to carry openly."
Valentino said demonstrators came from Cincinnati, Cleveland, Dayton, Youngstown and Kentucky in addition to central Ohio. They wore name tags and obeyed their leaders who told them to refrain from blocking pedestrian traffic on High Street.
"There were no problems at all," said Officer Chip Thompson, one of six officers from the Columbus Police Department assigned to the demonstration. "It (carrying handguns openly) is perfectly legal and it always has been."
Reaction was mixed as the group circled the capitol building. Many passers-by didn’t even notice the guns. Others did double takes.
"Good luck," offered one man as he boarded a COTA bus.
"They stare at us a little bit," said Marshall Dyson of Groveport. "I haven’t seen a look of fear from anybody."
Dyson, a computer-systems administrator whose father was a police officer, carried an oldstyle Colt .45 six-shooter and a bandolier with 24 rounds of ammunition.
"They are not a panacea," Dyson said, "but they will help some of our problems. The police try their best, but they cannot be everywhere."
The demonstrators did not encounter any protesters on their walk.
Tricia Hunter, a passer-by who works at a Downtown gym, said, "It kind of caught me offguard" when she first saw the gun-carrying demonstrators. When she found out why they were there, she applauded the idea of concealed weapons.
"I think it’ll deter criminals because they won’t know who has weapons and who doesn’t," Hunter said.
Sgt. Rick Zwayer of the State Highway Patrol said the patrol is neutral on the Senate version and opposes the House version. He said the patrol’s main concern is for the safety of officers approaching a motor vehicle.
Valentino said the group wants the legislative conference committee to allow permitholders unfettered access to their guns in motor vehicles.
Under the Senate version of the proposal, which Gov. Bob Taft has indicated he would sign, a driver would have to keep the weapon in plain sight of an approaching officer or lock it away if anyone under 18 were in the vehicle.
Valentino called that restriction "the carjacker-protection provision" and said anyone getting into a vehicle could be marked for attack because he or she would not have immediate access to a firearm.
Dyson said he hopes the conference committee makes the necessary changes quickly.
"I hope they’ll start to exercise a little common sense over this and stop fighting it tooth and nail."
lleonard@dispatch.com
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