The kentucky Post is getting to be one of my favorite websites because of straightforward articles like this.
http://www.kypost.com/news/concel072000.html
Kentucky gun owners want rights in Ohio, too
By Shelly Whitehead, Post staff reporter
Edward Heileman has a simple explanation for why he defends Kentucky's concealed- weapons laws and wishes Ohio would pass similar legislation: His own safety.
''There are people who will kill you, rape you, cut you up in a heartbeat,'' said Heileman, a former police officer. ''I know. I've locked them up for years. That's what people are defending themselves against
. . . (Ohio Gov.) Bob Taft doesn't have to worry about that. He has bodyguards.''
Heileman and other Kentuckians who are legally permitted to carry concealed weapons in the commonwealth have taken a great interest in Ohio's ban on concealed weapons and new debate on the issue.
Carrying a concealed weapon in Ohio is illegal. Even those who are permitted to carry concealed weapons in Kentucky - an estimated 60,000 people - are forbidden from carrying one across the river in Ohio. The only persons permitted to carry a concealed gun in Ohio are those who can prove to a court the gun is needed for protection, or as part of a job.
As a result a Kentuckian who has a state concealed-carry permit is in danger of being convicted of a felony if he's caught with a concealed firearm while in Ohio.
Concealed-carry proponents - particularly Northern Kentuckians who frequently cross the river - don't see the sense in that. They argue the same person who went to such lengths to legally protect himself in Kentucky would have to render himself a defenseless victim of crime in Ohio in order to abide by the law there.
But the constitutionality of the Ohio ban is being challenged. And that lawsuit has prompted a Hamilton County judge to order enforcement of the concealed-carry law halted in that county until he hears the challenge to it on Aug. 11.
Meanwhile, concealed-carry proponents in Kentucky are urging that the laws in Ohio be changed.
As proof, they're pointing to the benefits of the 1996 Kentucky law.
As a police officer in Hamilton County, Heileman pushed for concealed-carry permits for Ohioans for years. Now that he has retired from law enforcement, he teaches the eight-hour state certification course to Kentucky concealed-carry permit applicants.
''I've trained 500 people here,'' said Heileman who has built a state-certified target range on his Morning View farm. ''I've had funeral directors, ministers, priests, rabbis, lawyers. I've even done people from the Covington Board of Education.
''It has been a steady stream of people, except for maybe the last four months when it's slowed down a little. I think that's really because we've reached a saturation point.''
Heileman is one of nine current concealed-carry permit instructors in Kenton County. Each county sheriff's office maintains a list of certified instructors.
Fort Wright advertising consultant Michelle Walter recently received her permit after completing her training in April.
''I'm a single female and I thought it would be good idea,'' said Ms. Walter. ''I don't necessarily want to carry a gun with me at all times, but just to have a gun in my home, know what the laws are, and know how to use it.''
Ms. Walters said the eight-hour course provided a few surprises about the safe and legal use of her 38-caliber handgun. A critical part of the course is a target test.
''They learn how to properly handle a firearm and they're given a test,'' said Kentucky Firearms Foundation Vice President David Reynolds. ''They're taken out to a firing range where they use a . . . silhouette target. They have to hit it from 21 feet and they have to hit it 11 times out of 21 shots in the black human silhouette area.''
The training increased Ms. Walter's confidence in the use of a weapon.
''This course was really good, not only for understanding the legality of different situations, but also when you went out on the range and got to where you were comfortable shooting the gun,'' she said.
With that reaction, Ms. Walters could be the poster child for all the organizations pushing for concealed-carry laws in the six states remaining without them.
That's one reason groups that generally push for tighter gun laws, such as the Million Moms March Organization, think concealed-carry permit laws are a good idea because they require thorough background checks and training.
''My question is if it works for concealed carry, why not make it work for handguns across the board?'' said Kentucky Million Moms March Coordinator Rene Thompson.
''. . .Why can't we have it for all the people and all their handguns?''
In Kentucky, the concealed-carry permit process runs almost $150. The background check assures absence of serious criminal history, drug addiction or mental incompetence.
http://www.kypost.com/news/concel072000.html
Kentucky gun owners want rights in Ohio, too
By Shelly Whitehead, Post staff reporter
Edward Heileman has a simple explanation for why he defends Kentucky's concealed- weapons laws and wishes Ohio would pass similar legislation: His own safety.
''There are people who will kill you, rape you, cut you up in a heartbeat,'' said Heileman, a former police officer. ''I know. I've locked them up for years. That's what people are defending themselves against
. . . (Ohio Gov.) Bob Taft doesn't have to worry about that. He has bodyguards.''
Heileman and other Kentuckians who are legally permitted to carry concealed weapons in the commonwealth have taken a great interest in Ohio's ban on concealed weapons and new debate on the issue.
Carrying a concealed weapon in Ohio is illegal. Even those who are permitted to carry concealed weapons in Kentucky - an estimated 60,000 people - are forbidden from carrying one across the river in Ohio. The only persons permitted to carry a concealed gun in Ohio are those who can prove to a court the gun is needed for protection, or as part of a job.
As a result a Kentuckian who has a state concealed-carry permit is in danger of being convicted of a felony if he's caught with a concealed firearm while in Ohio.
Concealed-carry proponents - particularly Northern Kentuckians who frequently cross the river - don't see the sense in that. They argue the same person who went to such lengths to legally protect himself in Kentucky would have to render himself a defenseless victim of crime in Ohio in order to abide by the law there.
But the constitutionality of the Ohio ban is being challenged. And that lawsuit has prompted a Hamilton County judge to order enforcement of the concealed-carry law halted in that county until he hears the challenge to it on Aug. 11.
Meanwhile, concealed-carry proponents in Kentucky are urging that the laws in Ohio be changed.
As proof, they're pointing to the benefits of the 1996 Kentucky law.
As a police officer in Hamilton County, Heileman pushed for concealed-carry permits for Ohioans for years. Now that he has retired from law enforcement, he teaches the eight-hour state certification course to Kentucky concealed-carry permit applicants.
''I've trained 500 people here,'' said Heileman who has built a state-certified target range on his Morning View farm. ''I've had funeral directors, ministers, priests, rabbis, lawyers. I've even done people from the Covington Board of Education.
''It has been a steady stream of people, except for maybe the last four months when it's slowed down a little. I think that's really because we've reached a saturation point.''
Heileman is one of nine current concealed-carry permit instructors in Kenton County. Each county sheriff's office maintains a list of certified instructors.
Fort Wright advertising consultant Michelle Walter recently received her permit after completing her training in April.
''I'm a single female and I thought it would be good idea,'' said Ms. Walter. ''I don't necessarily want to carry a gun with me at all times, but just to have a gun in my home, know what the laws are, and know how to use it.''
Ms. Walters said the eight-hour course provided a few surprises about the safe and legal use of her 38-caliber handgun. A critical part of the course is a target test.
''They learn how to properly handle a firearm and they're given a test,'' said Kentucky Firearms Foundation Vice President David Reynolds. ''They're taken out to a firing range where they use a . . . silhouette target. They have to hit it from 21 feet and they have to hit it 11 times out of 21 shots in the black human silhouette area.''
The training increased Ms. Walter's confidence in the use of a weapon.
''This course was really good, not only for understanding the legality of different situations, but also when you went out on the range and got to where you were comfortable shooting the gun,'' she said.
With that reaction, Ms. Walters could be the poster child for all the organizations pushing for concealed-carry laws in the six states remaining without them.
That's one reason groups that generally push for tighter gun laws, such as the Million Moms March Organization, think concealed-carry permit laws are a good idea because they require thorough background checks and training.
''My question is if it works for concealed carry, why not make it work for handguns across the board?'' said Kentucky Million Moms March Coordinator Rene Thompson.
''. . .Why can't we have it for all the people and all their handguns?''
In Kentucky, the concealed-carry permit process runs almost $150. The background check assures absence of serious criminal history, drug addiction or mental incompetence.