toledoblade.com --

Habib Howard had only seconds to decide.

He was staring down the barrel of a gun unsure of the robber's next move.

But rather than wait and find out, Mr. Howard drew his gun and started shooting, striking the man twice.

The encounter occurred four years ago while Mr. Howard, then 23, was working at his family's convenience store, Howard's Carryout, on the corner of Monroe Street and Upton Avenue in West Toledo.

A man walked into the store about 10:30 on a Sunday night, headed to a back cooler, and grabbed a 12-pack of beer. He approached the counter, pulled out a gun, and demanded money.

Mr. Howard opened the cash register, and backed away with his hands in the air. The man ordered him to put the money on the counter, and Mr. Howard did so with one hand still in the air.

The robber then started to back out of the store with his gun raised.

Mr. Howard, who had been issued his concealed-carry permit less than two days before, reached for a 9mm semiautomatic handgun tucked in his waistband and began firing.

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Mr. Howard said much of what happened after he pulled the trigger is a blur.

"I was freaked out and shaking," he said. "I was in shock."

He hasn't had to use his gun since that incident in May, 2004, and he has been robbed just once since then. Mr. Howard believes that is, in part, because of the passage of the concealed-carry law.

"If it does nothing other than put a 1 percent doubt in their mind, that's good enough," he said.

This month marks four years since Ohio passed its concealed-carry law, becoming the 46th state to do so. The intent was to provide law-abiding citizens with the right to protect themselves.

The law requires county sheriffs to approve a concealed handgun license if the applicant is at least 21 years old; has completed a 12-hour training course, which includes two hours of live-fire training, and has passed an exam.

To be approved, applicants cannot be convicted felons or have been diagnosed as mentally ill.

Mr. Howard and thousands of other Ohioans are expected to renew their licenses this year, which expire four years from the issue date. Licenses issued after

this month will be good for five years.

When the law took effect on April 8, 2004, people lined up outside of sheriff's offices across the state, eager to apply for a concealed-carry license - something pro-gun groups had been pushing for years.

The law was highly criticized by gun-control advocates, who said those getting permits are not likely victims of crime.

Activists also argued that citizens aren't given proper training to know when to use deadly force against another person.

Nearly 45,500 Ohioans were issued concealed-carry licenses in 2004, and 90 percent of them are expected to renew their permits this year, said Robert Cornwell, executive director of the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association.

Michigan issued 53,000 licenses in its first year after passing a concealed-carry law.

Some Ohioans may have begun the renewal process, Mr. Cornwell said.

Licenses can be renewed up to 90 days before they expire and up to 30 days after, at which point the license becomes invalid, Mr. Cornwell said.

The number of permits issued in Ohio has steadily declined since 2004 with the exception of last year, when they increased slightly.

In 2005, 22,487 permits were issued - a nearly 50 percent decline from the previous year. That number dropped again in 2006 to 18,781, but increased to 22,103 last year, according to statistics from the Ohio Attorney General's Office.

In all, less than 1 percent of Ohioans have permits to carry a concealed weapon. About 2,600 Lucas County residents have the permits.

While some predicted the concealed-carry law would reduce crime, others feared it would incite violence.

But experts agree there appears to be no direct correlation between gun laws and crime rates in Ohio - and nationwide.

Despite a slight uptick in violent crime in the United States in 2006, crime rates have continued a downward trend since 1993, said Gary Kleck, a criminology and criminal justice professor at Florida State University who has been researching gun laws since 1976.

While concealed-carry laws may have allowed a few people to stop a robbery or attack, Mr. Kleck said it's unlikely that the law has had any direct impact on reducing crime.

The law simply allows people to carry a gun for self-protection, he said.

"If the law [achieved] its intended effect, it wouldn't reduce the number of crimes," Mr. Kleck said. "It would just reduce the number of victims who were injured or who lost property."

In Ohio, instances of violent crime increased by about 4 percent in the year the gun law was passed.

Then, from 2005 to 2006, violent crime dropped, according to the most recent statistics available from the U.S. Department of Justice.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said many factors play into crime rates, but he agreed the concealed-carry law isn't one of them.

"I'd love to be able to say it's reduced crime, but I don't think we can say that," he said.

Still, Mr. Irvine believes the law shouldn't be blamed on any spikes in crime.

Mr. Irvine said the people applying for the permits are law-abiding citizens who want to carry a gun to defend themselves and their families against criminals. Many people get guns to feel safer, Mr. Irvine said.

Even if the gun remains untouched in its holster, Mr. Irvine said the feeling of security is immeasurable.

"They can benefit from a security system mentally even if nobody ever breaks into their house," he said. "That feeling of safety - that's a great public good."

Some disagree with that logic.

Toby Hoover, executive director of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, said the law provides people with a false sense of security.

Additionally, Ms. Hoover said the minimal amount of training permit holders receive doesn't guarantee they'll make the right decision when it comes to using their gun for self-protection.

"We cannot ever know that any of us are going to make a good judgement call when stress comes into the picture," she said. "I don't think they can be sure they'll make the right decisions."

Contact Laren Weber at:
lweber@theblade.com
or 419-724-6050.

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