MIKE BRAUN Concealed carry law may not get chance

I imagine that the robbery at gunpoint of a Youngstown woman and her young child near their home recently might have had a different outcome had she surprised the robber by pulling out her own handgun.
Or the robbery of (pick a site: pizza parlor, gas station, convenience store) in (pick a local community) might not have been successful if the person being robbed had pulled out his own weapon when the "perp" tried his crime.
But, thanks to the Ohio Supreme Court, we'll never know. Ohio's highest court last week upheld the state's ban on carrying hidden weapons.
Round-robin refusal
Additionally, there is sort of a round-robin refusal to deal with the concealed carry situation on the part of Ohio politicians and police agencies, according to Ohioans For Concealed Carry.
A synopsis of the situation, according to the OFCC, is as follows: The Ohio State Highway Patrol had accepted an invitation to attend an Ohio Law Enforcement Summit Meeting with the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association on Friday.
The OSHP backed out less than 24 hours before the event and said they would not come unless the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police also came. An invitation to the OACP to attend was spurned, and, hence, OSHP's Major J. P. Allen declined the summit invitation.
The OFCC said: "So now we've come full circle. Sen. Pres. Doug White refuses to appoint conferees to [HB12] because he claims he doesn't have enough votes to override a veto (we have counted votes and believe otherwise). Gov. Bob Taft threatens a veto unless the OSHP is neutral on a bill. The OSHP is now refusing to meet to discuss the UNSAFE language which they forced into the Senate's amended language, because the OACP is not at the table."
The senate won't do it because the governor won't do it because the OSHP won't do it. It seems like a Larry, Curly and Moe situation.
Soitenly!
Contact legislators
The OFCC is urging Ohioans who are in favor of concealed carry to contact their local legislators.
The OFCC Web Site, www.ofcc.net, contains a form to help you identify your local legislators and an e-mail format allowing you to contact them with your opinions.
The OFCC site also contains more information on the aspects of HB12, the history of concealed carry in Ohio and in other states (more than 40 states have some form of active concealed carry licensing systems), and a lot more.
This issue breaks down to simply what Ohioans will be allowed to do to protect themselves.
God forbid the day comes when you might have needed that protection but the lack of a concealed carry system prevented that "choice." Who will speak for you then?
braun@vindy.com