In response to Rick Hawksley's letter ("Bare arms, too," Record-Courier, June 28), in which he states that he wants to know who is "loaded for bear" so that he can avoid possible problems: First, as he acknowledges that criminals will "always carry concealed," knowing which law-abiding citizens are legally armed will likely not help much in avoiding problems. Secondly, the fact that citizens can legally carry a concealed weapon may actually help Mr. Hawksley and others avoid problems.
If the legal weapons are concealed, then the criminal who does have his weapon concealed will not be able to be sure that his intended vicitm is not armed and able to defend himself or others. This may cause the criminal to go elsewhere to ply his trade. On the other hand, if all legally armed civilians are carrying in plain view, it is very obvious who the unarmed citizens (read "targets") are.
Additionally, obtaining a CCW permit requires at least a minimal amount of training and a background check for issuance of a permit (subject to revocation).
Current Ohio law does not prevent anyone from openly carrying a weapon even if they have not been trained or vetted for a permit.
Duane Dawson
Ravenna