State coalition to fight gun violence
A nationally recognized gun-safety advocate visited Columbus Wednesday to unveil a new coalition designed to address gun violence across the state.
Retired astronaut and former Navy Capt. Mark Kelly, husband of former U.S. Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, was joined by a number of local and statewide leaders to announce the Ohio Coalition for Common Sense. It’s the eighth such statewide coalition started by Kelly and Giffords’ Americans for Responsible Solutions foundation.
Giffords, a Democrat from Arizona, and 18 others were shot by a mentally ill man in January 2011 while she held a constituents’ meeting in the Tucson area. Six of those people died, including a federal judge, and Giffords was critically injured with a gunshot wound to the head.
During a morning news conference at the Statehouse on Wednesday, Kelly, who later said that he and his wife both own guns, talked about the need for “common sense” gun laws in the state and the deep economic impact that gun violence has on Ohioans.
He and others confirmed that the Ohio coalition has not yet approached lawmakers. Any proposals perceived as eroding gun rights are expected to face stiff legislative opposition.
Giffords originally was slated to attend the day’s events, but a spokesperson said she was unable to attend because of scheduling conflicts, fatigue and continued rehabilitation.
Kelly released a study that tallied the economic cost of gun violence in Ohio at $2.7 billion each year. Within that total is $123 million in health-care costs, $227 million in police and criminal-justice expenses, $16 million in costs to employers and $2.4 billion in lost income for victims of gun violence.
Gary Baker, president of the Columbus Board of Education, said the district is taking a leadership role in the nascent coalition. Students in the Columbus district often are affected by gun violence in their communities, but Baker said the district has been lucky to avoid many incidents on school property.
Baker said the coalition plans to push for three pieces of legislation: not allowing access to silencers; stopping concealed carry reciprocity among states; and ending background-check loophole laws. Though he hasn’t spoken to lawmakers, Baker said he’s hopeful about potential collaboration on legislation.
“Don’t be surprised if subsequent to that beginning, if you don’t hear something about potential statewide ballot initiatives (addressing gun violence),” Baker said. “Obviously, we’re going to try to work with our elected officials in the legislature first. … We know that there are folks in the legislature who will be open to common-sense legislation around closing those loopholes.”
Joining Kelly during the morning news conference were representatives from the YWCA in Cincinnati, McCain Law Office, Kiwanis Club of Columbus, Women Helping Women and the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.
The push for universal background checks is a national and statewide priority for Kelly’s group. He believes that most Ohioans would support the initiative. A Quinnipiac University survey in 2016 showed that 93 percent of people across the country support requiring background checks for all gun buyers.
Jim Irvine, board president of the Buckeye Firearms Association, isn’t buying it. Mandatory background checks are the first step toward mandatory gun registration, he said, and he believes they would facilitate firearms confiscation if the government chose to do so. He also said mandatory gun registration would be politically impossible.
Included in the Americans for Responsible Solutions’ report were communitylevel solutions for gun violence, such as the Cure Violence campaign, billed as a public-health strategy that “treats gun violence as a communicable disease.” The initiative would employ community members to intervene in violent situations and connect vulnerable youths to social services.
Irvine agreed that the firearms group could do more to help urban neighborhoods afflicted by gun violence. His organization would be willing to partner with other community initiatives, he said, but only if “they can show they are willing to solve the problem.” He noted that stricter gun laws are not viewed by the organization as a solution to violence perpetrated with firearms.
Kelly also outlined his proposals to about 245 people during a Columbus Metropolitan Club gathering. This list is compiled from voluntary submissions by parents to hospitals. Veronica and Corey: girl, May 27 Kylene and Todd: girl, May 26 Marissa and Kyle: boy, May 25 Yumiko and Larry: girl, May 28 Kate and Bobby: girl, May 27 Breanne and Kyle: boy, May 26 May 28 May 28 Jill and Shawn: boy, May 28 Teddy/ Jay: girl, May 26 Molly and Mark: boy,
Miranda and Nathan: girl, May 27 Ashley/ Jason: boy, May 28 Bonnie/ girl, May 27 Ava and Cody: boy, Jacob: Tiffany and Joshua: boy, May 28 Robin/ May 25 Jennifer and Dustin: boy, May 25 Katie and Jordan: boy, May 27 Trista and Chase: boy, May 26 Kimberly and Rock: boy, May 25 Ave., 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Oseas: boy, Blood drives are open today at:
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