COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) – Surveys and experts say more judges are carrying weapons than most people realize, even though attacks on judges are rare.
The question of whether judges should be armed got renewed attention last week after an Ohio judge who was carrying a gun was shot outside his courthouse and fired back.
Jefferson County Judge Joseph Bruzzese (bruh-ZEEZ’) Jr. is recovering from the Monday shooting in Steubenville (STOO’-behn-vihl), along the Ohio River roughly 30 miles (48 kilometers) west of Pittsburgh.
A handful of judges responding to recent surveys by the National Judicial College reported carrying guns for safety.
Two of every 100 judges told the college’s 2014 security survey they’d been physically attacked at some point.