Over the weekend there was a shooting in Cleveland, Ohio; nine wounded, apparently — thank G-d — none killed.
Cleveland’s mayor blames lax gun laws in the state and nation.
In a news conference Sunday, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb said the shooting “truly shows the massive gun problem we have, not just in Cleveland, not just in Ohio, but across this nation.”
And Bibb and CBS wants us to know just how lax Ohio’s laws are.
Bibb referenced an Ohio law passed last year that allows any “qualifying adult” to legally carry, possess or conceal a handgun without a license, background check or training requirements. Bibb said gun violence has increased statewide since the law took effect.
Let’s take that one at a time. Just what is a “qualifying adult”? According to Section 2923.111 | Concealed carry by a qualifying adult that would be:
(2) “Qualifying adult” means a person who is all of the following:
(a) Twenty-one years of age or older;
(b) Not legally prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1) to (9) or under section 2923.13 of the Revised Code or any other Revised Code provision;
(c) Satisfies all of the criteria listed in divisions (D)(1)(a) to (j), (m), (p), (q), and (s) of section 2923.125 of the Revised Code.
A somewhat more honest outlet notes that the alleged perp has a bit of a criminal record.
19 Investigates learned Jennings’ criminal record dates back to at least 2018.
[…]
Court records show lots of criminal convictions in Lorain County and Cuyahoga County including several instances of drug trafficking and drug possession.Jennings is currently facing charges in Lorain for possession of a controlled substance, driving with a suspended license, domestic violence, unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, and unlawful restraint.
So, multiple felony convictions, drug convictions, under indictment… And how is a 25 year old guy with that many adult convictions (and indictments including disqualifying domestic violence) still walking free at all?
This guy is not a “qualifying adult,” Bibb (and CBS). Maybe the problem isn’t one of guns, but of lax enforcement that allows violent criminals to walk free to be even more violent.
As for the insinuation that Cleveland’s violent crime problem is recent, and somehow caused by a law recognizing the right of honest people to carry… not so much. It’s a anecdotal, but I’ve been to Cleveland.
Back in the mid-90s, I had to go there to assist another tech with some radio work. It had to be done in the middle of the night, so as to cause a minimum of disruption to customers. Show of hands:
How many of you believe that we dragged a hand truck loaded down with thousands of dollars of gear through downtown Cleveland at midnight, unarmed? And screw company policy.
No, Cleveland’s crime problems are not recent. And they aren’t caused by the honest people.
Ohio now allows “qualifying adults” to carry a concealed firearm without a license.
And it sounds like they defined “qualifying adult”, basically, as someone who meets all the requirements for a license to carry, whether or not they have applied for or received one. IOW, a “qualifying adult” is anyone who could get a license.
The net effect is, someone who qualifies for a concealed weapon license (or whatever Ohio calls it) no longer needs to jump through the hoops and pay the fees to exercise his/her rights. And for someone who doesn’t qualify, nothing changed — they couldn’t carry a firearm legally before, and still can’t now.
But don’t ever expect an anti-gun politician to admit that little inconvenient truth; it would undermine everything else they say.
So you and one other person went to Cleveland, in the 90’s, in the dead of night, with electronics equipment, with just handguns concealed? I might have thought that you would have had one more person with you, with a 12 ga. shotgun, loaded with OO buckshot, plus them also armed with a handgun. Their only job being protection.
I have only been through that city once, but like they say about many other experiences, once was enough. I live in West Michigan, and I have been through Saginaw, Michigan once as well, and believe me the same can be said about that place.
Gun violence is awful, no matter how, when, where or why it happens. The thing is, we all know that it is not the gun that is violent, it is criminals who are violent, and no restrictions on guns will ever have any effect on that violence. We also know that the left will never admit that, nor will they change their tactics.
I don’t know what there is left that gun owners can do to stop the assault on our freedoms, but I hope that someone can figure it out soon. Free speech is being attacked so badly, that even places like this may soon become taboo.