A shootout involving at least five people occurred Thursday night in front of Route 66 Kitchen, a bar in Toledo near the University of Toledo campus.
According to witnesses and a video tape of the incident, the incident started as a fight inside the bar then spilled into the parking lot. Soon after, gunshots rang out with at least one shooter being inside the bar and shooting out the door. 17 shell casings were reportedly recovered.
Ohio law prohibits customers from bringing firearms into any liquor establishment. regardless of whether the person is drinking or even if they've jumped through the state-mandated hoops to obtain a concealed handgun license (CHL). Ohioans For Concealed Carry has introduced legislation to allow CHL holders to carry into an establishment that serves liquor as long as they are not drinking, but legislation like that has been introduced in the past always with opponents arguing if it passed that there would be shootouts at bars. Yet the law didn't stop hoodlums from bringing their guns in.
The law also didn't stop them from dealing drugs, which started the fight. After a man was asked to leave by a bar employee for allegedly attempting to sell marijuana, the confrontation escalated into the initial fight.
Criminals by definition break laws. Allowing law abiding citizen the means to defend themselves will not change the behavior of the lawless. Unless, that is, the criminal targets someone who does have the means to fight back.
Comments
"Ohioans For Concealed Carry has introduced legislation to allow CHL holsters to carry into an establishment that serves liquor as long as they are not drinking"
Get that passed and you'll have made a good first step in catching up to Pennsylvania!
More gun-toters, that's exactly what we need in this society. To restaurant and bar owners: I refuse to frequent your business if a bunch of your customers are packing.
NotAGunNut: As noted in the article, it is illegal for patrons (even licensed, law-abiding ones) to carry firearms in an establishment that serves alcohol.
You will note that the persons involved in the gunfight were not law-abiding people.
It's clearly established that (a) violent crime can occur in establishments that serve alcohol, and (b) although it's illegal, criminals will carry guns in such establishments.
While fleeing fortunately appears to have been an option for innocent bystanders in this case, what if it weren't possible? A disarmed, innocent person would have no means of protecting themselves from gun-wielding criminals.
What do you recommend one do in such a situation?
""Ohioans For Concealed Carry has introduced legislation to allow CHL "holsters" to carry into an establishment that serves liquor as long as they are not drinking?""
Holsters don't carry guns unless they are worn.
Besides it is legal in other states!
As for "NotAGunNut"'s comment,
If you don't like the column, don't read it!
If you are ever in such a situation, how will gun control help "you"?
to NotAGunNut:
This include Criminals? ...Then I suspect u'll be staying home QUITE A BIT! HAH!!
The murder of Meleanie Hain proves that having a CHL doesn't gaurantee safety.
Alex,
Actually, the murder of Melanie Haine proves that being married to an "Only One"* LEO is tantamount to suicide.
* Tip 'o the hat to David Codrea
To NotABrainCellFunctioning: You can't know if they are packing. And though you didn't mean to you got it right: When more citizens carry firearms, crime and criminal activity goes down for the simple reason that criminals are mostly cowards who prey on the weak. They do NOT want to deal with determined, armed citizens, who will (and often do) defensively shoot them right in the head. These citizens are the ones you mindlessly call "gun nuts". All this to debunk the universal and patent LIES that you and your brain DEAD liberal buddies, like Alex, like to imply: #1 That armed citizens are somehow dangerous to society, and #2 That gun control laws are good and necessary and will prevent or reduce crime ("gun violence" in your brain dead code). Both premises are statistically false,as is your thinking ability and your skewed anti Constitutional, anti freedom, and anti American gun ban blithering idiocy.
P.S. And thanks, Daniel, for another fine article.
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