Editorial: Concealed carry without problems

The reasons might not be what you want to see happen, but Ohioans continue to exercise their restored right to carry concealed weapons. Critics of concealed carry legislation have been silent of late in Ohio, and with good reason. People who legally carry are responsible, law-abiding citizens who mean to protect themselves, not to harm other people.

Ohio Attorney General Richard Cordray reported last month that the first quarter of 2009 saw another increase in the number of people seeking concealed carry permits. County sheriff's offices issues 16,323 licenses in the first three months of the year, The Columbus Dispatch reported. That was a 139 percent increase over the first quarter of 2008, the second straight quarter the number of licenses had more than doubled.

If the first quarter's pace continues, this would be Ohio's busiest year for concealed-carry since the Legislature and Gov. Bob Taft finally restore this basic form of self-protection in 2004. Gun control advocates worried about the dangers of an armed citizenry. That never became the case in the overwhelming majority of states where people could carry. And, no surprise, it has not been the case in Ohio.

Some gun owners have been unhappy with businesses that don't permit guns on their property. Their anger is misplaced. Just as gun owners have a right to carry concealed weapons, at least in public, property owners have a right to determine whether to allow certain things on that property, including guns.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the pro-gun group Buckeye Firearms Association, attributed the pace of people seeking gun permits to fears about crime in this weak economy and fear that the Obama administration might strengthen gun control laws. The fears about President Barack Obama are lessening, given everything he is trying to take on. Still, the large, struggling manufacturing sector suggests Ohio's hard times will go longer than the nation's, so expect some continued demand.

"The strong demand marks the eight consecutive quarters that licenses issued increased compared to the prior year," Irvine wrote in a column released last week. "License-holders, like gun owners in general, are not the extremists the anti-gun crowd tries to paint. They are honorable citizens who want protection from real dangers. They understand that police are not there to protect them from a rape or murder any more than they can prevent someone from running a red light. Responsible people wear a seat belt to protect themselves in a car accident, and they carry a gun to protect them from a criminal attack."