Woman shoots alleged abductor

Gary woman says she believed she was going to be killed.

Northwest Indiana Times
October 9, 2003

MERRILLVILLE -- A 28-year-old Gary woman said she knew what it meant Tuesday when she noticed the man holding a gun to her head was wearing gloves.

She figured she was going to die.

"I've called police on him before. He's tried to threaten me and my entire family. ... He was going to kill me," she said. "He's a friend who wanted to be more than a friend, and it's not possible."

But, the outcome of the incident took a turn when the woman pulled out her own 9 mm pistol and shot her abductor in the mouth, police said.

The woman, whom The Times chose not to identify, remained shaken Wednesday afternoon and said she hoped the three-hour ordeal would be the end of seven months of harassment.

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

Lima News
October 7, 2003

LIMA - A group of gun-toting citizens plan to strap handguns to their sides and hit the streets Sunday to protest a recent court
ruling on the state's concealed weapon law.

The Defense Walk will begin Sunday at 2 p.m. on Sherwood Drive off North Cable Road. A gun-safety check will be at 1 p.m. in the parking lot of AutoZone, said Charlie Triplett, one of the organizers of the event.

"It's just a friendly little walk," Triplett said.

The event will protest a recent ruling by the Ohio Supreme Court upholding the state's ban on concealed weapons. Triplett said citizens have the right to have a gun to protect themselves from crime.

"We want our fundamental right restored in Ohio which is the right to bear arms," he said.

Anyone can participate in the protest, even if they don't have a gun, he said. Anyone wanting to carry a gun must participate in the safety check before the walk through the subdivision.

Participants must carry their gun in a holster that is easily visible. Only handguns may be brought. "No rifles or shotguns," Triplett said.

Other communities across the state also will participate.

Triplett has contacted the Allen County Sheriff's Office and the Lima Police Department to make sure both agencies are aware of the protest, he said.

"We just want to walk and get our point across," he said.

Click here for the current schedule of "Defense" Walks, directions and contact information, and also for more details on future Walks.

Activists plan to march with guns
Columbus ThisWeek
October 9, 2003

Advocates of an Ohio law to allow concealed weapons will march through Olde Gahanna Sunday afternoon to draw attention to what they say is a flaw in state law.

"Defense Walk" organizers Bob Maroldy and Gerard Valentino said they expect about 100 people to participate in the event. Most will carry handguns, which will be in plain view.

The walk is scheduled to start at 2 p.m. from Veterans Memorial Park on Johnstown Road after a safety briefing. The group will walk along Granville Street to Shull Avenue and then return to the park.

Maroldy, a Gahanna resident, and Valentino, of Pickerington, announced during Monday night's Gahanna City Council meeting their intent to stage the walk.

"Our goal is to have a safe, non-confrontational event," said Maroldy, a former Texas resident who moved to Gahanna in November 2002.

The event is being held in response to the Ohio Supreme Court's recent 5-2 vote to uphold Ohio's ban on concealed weapons. In its decision, the court said it is legal for Ohio residents to carry firearms as long as they are visible.

The walk is also to show support for House Bill 12, which would allow Ohio residents to carry concealed weapons, but is currently stalled in the Ohio Legislature.

It will be similar to a "Defense Walk" held Sept. 28 in Cincinnati at which about 100 people openly carried their firearms in a "very successful, peaceful, mainly non-confrontational" event, Maroldy said.

The intent of the Gahanna event is "to provide a visual display of the choice" between allowing Ohio residents to carry concealed weapons "and open carry with no licensing or training, and we are against that," said Maroldy. He said he was licensed to carry a concealed weapon during the six years he lived in Texas.

Gahanna Police Chief Dennis Murphy said he is comfortable with the walk and hopeful that it will go off without a hitch.

"They are probably one of the most polite groups we've ever worked with," Murphy said. "They want to make their statement, but they don't want to cause any concern in the community."

Click on the "Read More..." link below for more.

XENIA - Local concealed carry supporters will hold Defense Walks statewide to protest Sen. Doug White and Gov. Bob Taft's obstruction of the concealed-carry legislation on Sunday.

The walk is intended to offer a visual display of support for the legalization of concealed carry permits by openly wearing their firearms through the neighborhood.

Organizers cite the Supreme Court ruling of Klien vs. Leis, which upheld open carry, as right to self-defense.

A safety meeting will be held at 1 p.m. and the walk will follow, starting at the parking lot on Church Street in downtown Xenia.

It is one block off Detroit Street and two blocks south of the courthouse.

For more information, call Larry Moore at 675-6464.

Click here to read the story in the Xenia Gazette.

Click here for the current schedule of "Defense" Walks, directions and contact information, and also for more details on future Walks.