PROPOSALS

Senate President Larry Obhof, R-medina, told The Dispatch “it’s an issue we can look at and might be able to work through.” House Speaker Larry Householder, who blasted a TV with a gun for a campaign commercial last year, was not talking Monday.

Obhof said lawmakers had concerns about a red-flag law unsuccessfully sought last year by then-gov. John Kasich, feeling it lacked due process and the right to confront the accuser. Dewine said ensuring due process is a priority in any bill he may seek.

Asked about other changes, such as a limit on magazine capacity — the Dayton shooter had a 100-shot magazine — Obhof said, “We re happy to sit down with the governor and talk about it.”

Dewine was challenged to “do something!” in a chant Sunday evening by mourners attending a vigil for the nine gunned down in Dayton.

At the White House on Monday, Trump condemned white supremacy and the internet in the aftermath of the shootings, and suggested he could get behind red-flag laws.

In a 10-minute address with Vice President Mike Pence at his side, Trump said, “We must make sure that those judged a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms. And if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process.”

The president also said, “Our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacism. Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger — not the gun.”

Trump stumbled at the end of his remarks, referring to Dayton as Toledo. “May God bless the memory of those who perished in Toledo, may God protect them,” Trump said. The official White House transcript had dashes through “in Toledo.”

Trump’s offer of sympathy to the wrong Ohio city shows a “diminished mental capacity to be able to deal with the big problems of the United States today,” Democratic Youngstown-area Congressman Tim Ryan told CNN.

Also on CNN, Democratic Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley sarcastically said, “All these Ohio cities all look alike.” When asked to confirm reports Trump is visiting Dayton on Wednesday, the mayor replied, “He might be going to Toledo, I don’t know.”

Former Vice President Joe Biden, who is running for president, also made a geographic stumble at a fundraiser in San Diego, referring to shootings in Houston and Michigan, although he corrected himself.

Trump said he had spoken to both Dewine and Whaley, as well as the mayor of El Paso and the governor of Texas.

Declaring “hate has no place in America,” Trump vowed to “act with urgent resolve.” He said he was directing the With Vice President Mike Pence by his side, President Donald Trump speaks Monday about the mass shootings in El Paso, Texas, and Dayton. “Our nation must condemn racism, bigotry and white supremacism,” Trump said. “Mental illness and hatred pulls the trigger — not the gun.” Department of Justice to propose legislation ensuring that those who commit hate crimes and mass murders face the death penalty “and that this capital punishment be delivered quickly, decisively and without years of needless delay.”

Trump began the day on Twitter by endorsing stronger background checks, possibly linked to immigration reform. But he made no mention of that proposal in his White House remarks.

“That’s an absolute freaking joke,” Ryan said about Trump’s tweets. “Mitch Mcconnell (the Senate majority leader) needs to get off his ass and do something. People are getting killed in the streets in America and nobody is acting.”

In February, the U.S. House passed two bills aimed at strengthening the background-check requirements to own guns. The first measure would bar most person-to-person firearm transfers unless a background check could be conducted. The bill aimed to eliminate what gun-control advocates have called a loophole that enables people to buy firearms without a background check at gun shows or, say, as a private sale.

That bill passed 240-190, with all Ohio Republicans opposing it and all Ohio Democrats supporting it. In all, eight House Republicans joined Democrats to back that bill.

The House also, by a 228-198 vote, passed a measure that would require firearms dealers to wait at least 10 days to receive a response from the backgroundcheck system before going ahead with the sale. Currently, dealers can sell the firearm if they haven’t received a response within three days. All Ohio Republicans opposed the proposal while all Ohio Democrats supported it.

Both bills await action in the Senate, but Mcconnell is rejecting Democratic calls to put those measures up for a vote.

Ohio Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown called for a special session: “We need to get weapons of war off of our streets and vote immediately in the Senate on common-sense background checks that the House of Representatives already passed. We can’t do that until President Trump and Washington Republicans stop working for the NRA and start working to keep our communities safe.”

Congress currently is on its fall recess.

Sen. Rob Portman said he also supports red-flag laws, adding that Trump “was right to speak out forcefully against hate, bigotry and the white supremacist ideology.”

“I agree with him that that there is more we can to do to try and keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people, and both parties should work together towards this goal,” the Ohio Republican said. “I will continue to support common-sense reforms to our gun laws that don’t infringe on the rights of law-abiding citizens.”

U.S. Rep. Joyce Beatty, D-jefferson Township, renewed a call for universal background checks, and she advocated a ban on assault weapons and highcapacity magazines.

The Dayton native said, “Trump’s statement today focused more on violent media, video games, and the need for a red-flag law. This is not enough to keep firearms out of the hands of individuals who are a danger to themselves and others.”

Rep. Troy Balderson, R-zanesville, was “heartbroken” about the shootings, according to a spokeswoman, but in a statement stopped short of endorsing a red-flag law.

“We need to take a deeper look at exactly where our society is breaking down and address the mental health issues at the root of these atrocious acts,” Balderson said. “We need to fully enforce the laws on our books and thoughtfully consider how we can prevent future tragedies.”

Terry Russell, executive director of the National Alliance on Mental Illness-ohio, said he hopes Dewine will invest in making mental health services more readily available in hopes of identifying and treating would-be shooters.

“The statistics clearly show the vast majority of people with mental illness do not commit violence or break the law,” Russell said. “However, it is clear, that without treatment, a very small percentage of the severely mentally ill are at greater risk of violent behavior.”

People who notice friends or relatives with violent obsessions must steer them to immediate and long-term treatment, Russell said.

“If somebody doesn’t recognize it, then that’s when we end up with what we had over the weekend.”