Ohio governor proposes gun control measures
DeWine wants ‘red flag’ law, background checks
Ohio – A crowd of frustrated mourners yelled at Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Sunday night to “do something” about gun violence. DeWine said he heard them. “Some chanted ‘do something,’ and they were absolutely right,” DeWine said Tuesday morning. “We must do something, and that is exactly what we are going to do.”
DeWine unveiled several proposals Tuesday aimed at curbing gun deaths. Among them: a “red flag” law, background checks for most firearm purchases, more access to mental health treatment and harsher penalties for felons with guns and straw purchases.
DeWine said no one thing will prevent gun violence, but together, the changes will save lives.
“If we do these things, it will matter. If we do these things, it will make us safer,” the Republican said.
Police haven’t yet determined a motive for the Dayton shooter, who killed nine and injured 27 on Sunday morning.
Whether DeWine’s solutions have any hope of becoming law depends on Ohio’s GOP-controlled Legislature, which has been wary of restricting gun rights and rejected proposals similar to the governor’s in recent years.
“Red flag” laws allow family members or police to seek removal of firearms from individuals who they fear will cause harm to themselves or others. States with such laws allow guns to be removed temporarily before a judge grants a longer-term “emergency risk protection order.”
DeWine’s variation on the idea was crafted to satisfy concerns from gunrights advocates: Guns could not be removed before a court “safety protection order” is granted, which must happen within three days of the initial complaint. The National Rifle Association has supported emergency risk protection orders – if they protect gun owners’ due process rights not to have their property seized without a valid legal reason.
DeWine also wants background checks on all gun sales, except sales between family members and a few other scenarios. DeWine voted for backCOLUMBUS, ground checks on all sales at gun shows while in Congress.
In a recent Quinnipiac University poll, 90% of Ohio voters said they supported background checks for all gun buyers, and 87% of gun owners agreed.
If DeWine and lawmakers don’t act, a group called Ohioans for Gun Safety wants to force lawmakers to consider a universal background check bill with a citizen-initiated law or put it on the 2020 ballot.
DeWine also wants to strengthen existing laws for convicted felons caught with firearms and for straw purchases, in which someone who can’t legally buy a gun buys one through a third party.
Ohio lawmakers will vet DeWine’s proposals after they return in midSeptember.