Carry-conceal permits issued
The following new licenses for a carry-conceal permit were issued in Butler County since 2004, when the law went into effect.
2004: 1,076
2005: 969
2006: 992
2007: 1,104
2008: 1,391
2009: 2,227
2010*: 1,112
* through Dec. 8.
Source: Butler County Sheriff’s Office and Ohio Attorney General’s Office
MONROE — Bill Jamison, owner of Froggy Blues Cafe in Monroe, said he believes in a person’s right to carry a firearm — just not inside establishments like his.
Jamison said he opposes a bill in the Ohio House that would allow concealed guns inside bars and restaurants.
Simply put, he said, alcohol and guns “don’t go well together.”
“It would be a nightmare for us,” Jamison said referring to his business. “What happens when it’s (the gun) pulled?
“I’d lose all my business. All the people who come here, they won’t come to the bar ever again ... and I wouldn’t blame them.”
Elizabeth Allen has been a bartender for five years at Buck’s Sports Bar on Central Avenue in Middletown and can verify that when alcohol is involved and tempers flare, people can act violently. She said she’s seen her share of bar fights and even recalls a shootout not too far away from the bar a few years ago.
The bar doesn’t even use glass beer mugs — opting for plastic instead — because glass shards could be used as a weapon. So she doesn’t understand why anyone would want to allow guns to be brought into the mix.
“They took out smoking because they were afraid that would kill people and now they want to bring guns into a bar? What is up with that?” Allen said.
Proponents of Senate Bill 239 said the proposal allows for conceal carry permit holders to carry their weapons into bars and restaurants if they make a conscious decision not to drink alcohol. Supporters like Sean Maloney, a CCW trainer and member of the National Rifle Association and Buckeye Firearms Association, admit the bill requires a bit of trust. But Maloney stood by his belief in a citizen’s right to defend himself and his family and assure they return home safely.
“But we should not be playing police officer,” said Maloney, who hammers that point home during his training classes. “We don’t need junior deputies.”
Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said the bill would bring Ohio in line with other states like Indiana, Michigan and Kentucky, which already have laws that permit concealed guns in establishments that serve alcohol. Irvine said guns have been stolen from locked vehicles because the owner wasn’t permitted to carry their weapon into a restaurant or bar. In other instances, people have been killed in mass shootings where someone with a gun could have saved lives, he said.
“I guarantee it is already being done,” Irvine said of taking guns into bars and restaurants. “Especially from people who are visiting from out of state, because they don’t realize what Ohio law says.”
Middletown police Maj. Mark Hoffman said he could understand some people’s angst. The bill has been opposed by a number of state law-enforcement associations.
“On the one hand, the people that would typically go out to get a conceal carry permit are typically people who will obey the rules and abide by rules, regulations and laws,” Hoffman said. “These people aren’t the type that usually go in and cause a problem. But anytime you mix alcohol and firearms, it’s a dangerous mix.”
Hoffman said many Middletown police officers carry firearms, even while off duty, and the city has a policy requiring them not to carry their gun if they will be drinking. He said it would make sense to have this same policy for residents with conceal-carry permits.
Amy Crawford, who has been the bartender at Lakeside Inn on Tytus Avenue in Middletown since the restaurant’s reopening in August, said she thinks allowing people to conceal a gun in a place where people are drinking is a recipe for disaster.
“When the people get intoxicated, they could just pull out their guns and use them,” Crawford said. “And people can get crazy at closing time.”
Ryan’s Tavern in downtown Hamilton prohibits firearms.
“Unless you’re law enforcement, I’m in strong agreement of, don’t bring it in, leave it in the car,” said Tully Milders, general manager at Ryan’s Tavern. “When a situation because volatile in a bar, a person with a weapon is more inclined to draw it. There’s a way to diffuse (the situation) without a weapon.”
Lou Horsley, co-owner of Grub Pub on Hancock Avenue in Hamilton, said he is opposed to the conceal carry law in general. He said it’s hard to tell if someone has been drinking prior to coming into his establishment, let alone who has a gun and who doesn’t. Horsley said there’s a chance someone could steal the gun away from the carrier and hurt someone else. “I don’t want to be responsible,” said Horsley, who has owned the bar for 30 years.
Allen of Buck’s Sports Bar in Middletown said the only person inside a bar with a gun should be the bartender because “people can get raging in the bar because of the alcohol.”
Staff writers Lauren Pack, Tiffany Y. Latta, Jessica Heffner, Hannah Poturalski and Denise Wilson contributed to this report.