Preacherman
Member
From the Bucyrus Telegraph-Forum, April 3, 2004 (http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/news/stories/20040403/localnews/163570.html):
Gun law future success likely tough to determine
By Jim Siegel
T-F Columbus Bureau
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COLUMBUS -- Criminals in Ohio have been carrying guns for years -- and now the rest of Ohio will get its chance.
The state's long-debated new law allowing residents who pass criminal and mental background checks to carry concealed handguns goes into effect Thursday, and thousands are expected to flock sheriffs' offices across Ohio seeking new permits.
But whether the law is ultimately effective at making people safer may never really be determined.
"If the crime rate goes down in Ohio, they'll claim it's because of this," said Sen. Eric Fingerhut, D-Cleveland, one of the legislature's most outspoken opponents of the new law. "If it goes up, they'll say it's because the law is too restrictive. It's not a debate you're going to resolve ever."
That doesn't mean people won't spend the next few years giving it their best try.
Gerard Valentino, central Ohio coordinator for Ohioans for Concealed Carry, said Michigan crime rates dropped after it passed a concealed-carry bill in 2001.
"Our expectation is we'll see something close to that," he said. "If we don't see something that good, it doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem."
For Rep. Jim Aslanides, who crafted the law, success will be measured by the number of people who get a permit. The more people licensed, the more criminals will have to be wary of who they strike, he said.
Within three years, Aslanides wants to see 5 percent of Ohioans -- more than 550,000 -- licensed to carry.
"We'll be hard-pressed to get that many," the Coshocton Republican said. "The bill is pretty restrictive and that may discourage some.
"Everybody needs to get a permit. It makes everybody safer."
The Ohio Highway Patrol says they'll rely on crime and accident statistics to gauge success.
"Do we have an increase in the number of incidents involving firearms as it relates to motor vehicles and traffic incidents?" said Ohio Highway Patrol patrol spokesman Sgt. Rick Zwayer. "We'll look at whether it becomes a crime deterrent or if it increases crime."
But county sheriffs, who are responsible for conducting background checks and issuing permits, see it differently.
It's a success if "we do not erroneously issue licenses to anyone," said Bob Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association. He won't pay attention to crime statistics or body counts.
"If I want to say crime has been reduced, I can get you all kinds of statistics that say that in those states that passed a CCW law, crime has gone down," he said. "If I want to say more kids have been killed because of carry concealed, I can get you all kind of statistics on that."
Regardless of success, most agree the law is not perfect. When the bill passed in January, Aslanides called it "nothing more than a good vehicle to amend later."
And he is already eyeing some changes. The first could be to close permitting records from public view. After pressure from Gov. Bob Taft, lawmakers agreed to allow journalists access to permit lists.
The chance of being outed by the media may make people reluctant to get a concealed-carry permit, Aslanides said.
But making that change might be tough, considering Taft's opposition. And two GOP governor candidates for 2006 -- Betty Montgomery and Jim Petro -- also want those records open.
Aslanides also thinks the bill contains too many restrictions when carrying inside a vehicle, particularly for women who can't always easily holster a gun on a belt or under a jacket. He'd also like to one day remove the prohibition on guns in public buildings.
"I realize the first bill out of the box has to be restrictive," he said. "We needed to prove it could go on and we could implement a new statute like this without much difficulty."
Gun law future success likely tough to determine
By Jim Siegel
T-F Columbus Bureau
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
COLUMBUS -- Criminals in Ohio have been carrying guns for years -- and now the rest of Ohio will get its chance.
The state's long-debated new law allowing residents who pass criminal and mental background checks to carry concealed handguns goes into effect Thursday, and thousands are expected to flock sheriffs' offices across Ohio seeking new permits.
But whether the law is ultimately effective at making people safer may never really be determined.
"If the crime rate goes down in Ohio, they'll claim it's because of this," said Sen. Eric Fingerhut, D-Cleveland, one of the legislature's most outspoken opponents of the new law. "If it goes up, they'll say it's because the law is too restrictive. It's not a debate you're going to resolve ever."
That doesn't mean people won't spend the next few years giving it their best try.
Gerard Valentino, central Ohio coordinator for Ohioans for Concealed Carry, said Michigan crime rates dropped after it passed a concealed-carry bill in 2001.
"Our expectation is we'll see something close to that," he said. "If we don't see something that good, it doesn't necessarily mean there is a problem."
For Rep. Jim Aslanides, who crafted the law, success will be measured by the number of people who get a permit. The more people licensed, the more criminals will have to be wary of who they strike, he said.
Within three years, Aslanides wants to see 5 percent of Ohioans -- more than 550,000 -- licensed to carry.
"We'll be hard-pressed to get that many," the Coshocton Republican said. "The bill is pretty restrictive and that may discourage some.
"Everybody needs to get a permit. It makes everybody safer."
The Ohio Highway Patrol says they'll rely on crime and accident statistics to gauge success.
"Do we have an increase in the number of incidents involving firearms as it relates to motor vehicles and traffic incidents?" said Ohio Highway Patrol patrol spokesman Sgt. Rick Zwayer. "We'll look at whether it becomes a crime deterrent or if it increases crime."
But county sheriffs, who are responsible for conducting background checks and issuing permits, see it differently.
It's a success if "we do not erroneously issue licenses to anyone," said Bob Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye State Sheriffs Association. He won't pay attention to crime statistics or body counts.
"If I want to say crime has been reduced, I can get you all kinds of statistics that say that in those states that passed a CCW law, crime has gone down," he said. "If I want to say more kids have been killed because of carry concealed, I can get you all kind of statistics on that."
Regardless of success, most agree the law is not perfect. When the bill passed in January, Aslanides called it "nothing more than a good vehicle to amend later."
And he is already eyeing some changes. The first could be to close permitting records from public view. After pressure from Gov. Bob Taft, lawmakers agreed to allow journalists access to permit lists.
The chance of being outed by the media may make people reluctant to get a concealed-carry permit, Aslanides said.
But making that change might be tough, considering Taft's opposition. And two GOP governor candidates for 2006 -- Betty Montgomery and Jim Petro -- also want those records open.
Aslanides also thinks the bill contains too many restrictions when carrying inside a vehicle, particularly for women who can't always easily holster a gun on a belt or under a jacket. He'd also like to one day remove the prohibition on guns in public buildings.
"I realize the first bill out of the box has to be restrictive," he said. "We needed to prove it could go on and we could implement a new statute like this without much difficulty."
