Jason Storey's odyssey of terror began about 10 p.m. when he was carjacked by two masked men with a gun in the parking lot of Walgreens on West Market Street. He was ordered at gunpoint to get in his 2003 Pontiac Grand Am and drive them to a local bank. They forced him to make a withdrawal from the automatic teller machine. He withdrew $10 because he only had $16 in his account.

They then locked Storey in the trunk of his car and drove around for about 45 minutes making a few stops along the way, according to Storey. During one of the stops, police said the two suspects picked up another person.

The kidnappers finally stopped the vehicle on a dead-end road off Front Street, and the assailant with the gun forced Storey to walk down the road and handcuffed both of his arms around a tree.

Storey said he was certain one of his kidnappers wanted to kill him, but the other assailant didn't want to harm him.

City police officers eventually found Storey after he was able to call 911 on his cell phone and guide them to his location. Police said if Storey had stayed there all night, the sub-freezing temperatures could have been fatal.

Police said Jack K. George, a delivery worker for Domino's Pizza, was confronted by two men at 1801 Brookside Drive at about 9:45 p.m. Wednesday, and one of the suspects hit him in the head with a wooden club.

Police said George had pulled into a driveway at the Brookside Drive residence to deliver two pizzas when he was approached by a man.

That man asked George to follow him to the rear of the home so he could get money to pay for the pizzas. After getting to the back of the house, George said the man turned to walk to the front of the house and when George turned to look, he was struck in the head.

George fell to the ground and dropped a bag containing the pizzas. He was then confronted by a man with a wooden club who asked George several times for his money bag.

Meanwhile, in a state that allows its law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense, a different outcome resulted when this elderly man was confronted by a man with a knife:

Click on the Read More..." link below for the full story.

As the Ohio General Assembly looks ahead to committee consideration of HB12 and SB24, we believe serious consideration should be given to removing language involving the creation of "victim zones" in Ohio, where persons are prohibited from exercising their constitutional right to self-defense.

Check out this latest account of a woman being attacked in a church:

Greensboro Daily News, Greensboro, NC

Addie Whitesides, a church cleaning woman in Charlotte, N.C., was at work before dawn when she came face to face with a prowler. Screaming, Mrs. Whitesides ran for the door, followed by the man. Once outside she drew a pistol and held it on the intruder until police arrived. She has carried the gun since the church was broken into recently.

In case you missed them, here are three more recently published stories detailing the dangers of creating victim zones:

Tale of Two Cities: Lima woman raped, OKC woman escapes attack in church

Sanford (NC) church congregation robbed at gunpoint; one man shot

Purses being stolen outside day cares

• Every day that Ohio's Republican leadership waits to pass concealed carry reform increases the defenseless victim list in our state. Ohio's unconstitutional ban on carrying a concealed weapon is, like all other laws, continually ignored by the very criminals the law seeks to restrain.

Thomas D. White, 41, of 2548 Parkview Ave., Toledo, was arraigned yesterday after he was accused of severely beating a central-city woman in an assault during which he allegedly bound her hands and feet with duct tape and a coat hanger before dropping her off three miles from where the incident occurred.

The 44-year-old victim suffered two broken hands, a broken jaw, several broken fingers, a broken bone in her neck, and numerous cuts and scratches. She was treated at St. Vincent Mercy Medical Center and is recovering in a convalescent home.

The woman was walking home from a bar about 2 a.m. Jan. 8 when a man offered to give her a ride in the area of Detroit and Belmont avenues. He then asked if she wanted to get a drink. When she agreed, he took her to his apartment.

Click on the Read More..." link below for the full story.

Jeremy W. White, of 4936 Bordeauz Lane (Mason), and Shane P. Prince, of 3505 W. Ohio, robbed a Maineville woman at gunpoint Nov. 13 after following her from her driveway into her garage.

The next day, they robbed residents at apartment complexes near where Prince lived.

This week, Prince and White were sentenced to 9 and 10 years respectively.

Meanwhile, in a state that allows law-abiding citizens to carry a concealed handgun for self-defense, a shockingly different outcome occurred in this attempted robbery:

The Times-Picayune/The States-Item, New Orleans, LA, 11/1/83

Debra Luchion had just gotten out of her car and was about to enter a New Orleans supermarket when a man rode up on a bicycle and threatened to "blow her head off" unless she gave him money. Luchion promptly drew a gun, whereupon the man apologized and hastily pedaled off.

• Could the lifting of Ohio's unconstitutional ban on carrying a concealed weapon for self-defense have saved these Lebanon robbery victims?

Contact information for the area's elected officials is provided below:

State House of Representatives
•

A Thursday story from Cincinnati's WXIX FOX Channel 19 makes it clear: the Ohio House is expected to pass HB12, a concealed weapons bill introduced this week.

Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder (R-Glenford) told FOX19 News he expects his chamber sometime soon will pass a bill that would have county sheriffs grant licenses allowing people to carry concealed weapons.

Under current Ohio law, only police have that clear right. Anyone else is subject to arrest, and must prove to a judge the need to carry a concealed weapon.

Opponents of the current law believe it's unconstitutional (to date, four judges have agreed). Their lawsuit is scheduled to be considered by the Ohio Supreme Court.

But chances in the Senate are less certain. And Governor Taft has said he'll veto the bill because it's opposed by the Ohio State Patrol, which believes it would increase violence.

Householder's response is that in the more than 40 states that already allow concealed carry, criminals are deterred by not knowing whether their next victim might be able to fire back.