Ohio GOP governor wants gun reform; calls in Texas for Trump to stay away
DAYTON, OHIO — Ohio’s Republican governor bucked his party to call for expanded gun laws Tuesday and some Democrats in Texas told U.S. President Donald Trump to stay away as both states reeled from a pair of shootings that killed 31.
A racist screed remained the focus of police investigating the massacre at a Walmart in El Paso, Texas, as further details trickled out on the shooter at a popular nightlife strip in Dayton, Ohio, who was described as fascinated with mass murder.
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine urged the GOP-led state legislature to pass laws requiring background checks for nearly all gun sales and allowing courts to restrict firearms access for people perceived as threats.
Persuading the legislature to pass such proposals could be an uphill battle. It has given little consideration this session to those and other gun-safety measures already introduced by Democrats and DeWine’s Republican predecessor, John Kasich, who also unsuccessfully pushed for a so-called red flag law on restricting firearms for people considered threats.
“We can come together to do these things to save lives,” DeWine said.
An ex-girlfriend of the Ohio gunman, 24-year-old Connor Betts, said he suffered from bipolar disorder, joked about his dark thoughts and exhibited a fascination with mass shootings.
The woman, Adelia Johnson, said in an online essay that Betts showed her a video of the Pittsburgh synagogue shooting on their first date.
She said Betts expressed “uncontrollable urges” that she called “red flags,” which eventually led her to call things off in May.
Trump was planning visits to both cities Wednesday, an announcement that stirred some resistance in El Paso.
Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of El Paso said Trump wasn’t welcome in her hometown as it mourned.
Democratic presidential candidate Beto O’Rourke, who was an El Paso congressman for six years, also said Trump should stay away.
Escobar said Tuesday that victims’ families were already using the city’s newly opened resource centre where various government and mental health services have set up booths.
“We’ve got to make sure that folks have access to mental health care. There’s going to be a lot of trauma in our community; a lot of children saw things that no human being should see,” Escobar said.