Gov. Bob Taft intended on taking a bite out of Ohio’s crime on Jan. 8, when he signed a legislative bill to legalize the carrying of concealed handguns.
In an effort to prevent crime rates from rising, the Ohio legislature has followed the lead of 45 other states by upholding the Second Amendment as a constitutional right mandated by every law-abiding citizen.
Orest Holubec, spokesman for Taft, said the governor’s decision to sign the bill was partially linked to the statistics of declining crime rates in other states.
For the first time in 30 years, the state of Michigan has experienced a 60 percent decrease in its crime polls, which is attributed to the legalization of concealed weapons.
“It has proven to be rather beneficial in other states and has significantly decreased crimes. The governor has always supported the right to bear arms and has received a great amount of support from many Ohioans,” Holubec said.
In an attempt to ease the concerns and frustrations of some Ohioans, who fear guns will only contribute to higher crime levels, the governor instituted detailed background checks and an extensive 12-hour training session for any individual interested in purchasing a gun license.
Toby Hoover, the executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Control, said she would applaud Taft’s efforts on initiating background checks, only if he plans to update the database in which they are stored.
“A couple of years ago, the database was only 65 percent up-to-date, so it left out over 30 percent of people who could have potentially been criminals or someone who failed the background test. The database is still not current; therefore, the governor clearly should not pass a law until the database is properly administered to the public,” Hoover said.
Although the flawed database may present technical difficulties, the National Instant Check System secured by the Federal Bureau of Investigation is deemed a concrete method to determine the mental capacity and background check of any individual interested in purchasing a gun.
Claire Marvin, president of the New Albany shooting range, said he is confident in NICS and utilizes the system each time he has a customer.
“One problem that I see with the database is that if someone from out-of-state moving into Ohio wants to buy a gun, they are not going to be in the database. What if they are crazy and can still buy a gun?” Marvin said. “Although I’m a firm believer in the NICS system, it is still up to my discretion to not sell a gun to a customer who appears to have ulterior, negative motives.”
Hoover has worked diligently against the legalization of concealed weapons. He has attempted to allot private businesses the option of declaring their private property as an area unacceptable to enter with a concealed weapon.
“All this bill has done is set a policy that contributes to the belief of fearing our culture. People are going to start to think that since the world is such a dangerous place, they can’t go anywhere without a gun. It has all been reduced to politics,” Hoover said.
“The governor can not legislate public acceptance, and the bulk of Ohioans will not accept the idea of people carrying around weapons.”
