Dewine may consider changes in gun laws
Prior to the mass shooting outside a Dayton bar that killed nine people, the Republican-ruled Ohio General Assembly had shown no appetite to consider legislation addressing gun violence.
While lawmakers are moving on a bill to allow any law-abiding adult to carry a gun without a concealed-carry permit, no Republican-backed legislation to limit Ohioans’ access to guns has been introduced.
Now, in the wake of what he called a “horrible day for Ohio,” first-year Gov. Mike Dewine said Sunday that “everything’s on the table” when it comes to potential changes in gun policy.
“We should have this discussion. I’m just not going to get in it too deep today” out of respect for the Dayton victims and their families, he said.
Like frustrated former GOP Gov. John Kasich, Dewine supports so-called red flag legislation to allow a judge to order the temporary removal of guns from a person found to be a danger to himself or others. Dewine wants to include provisions guaranteeing due process for anyone targeted for the seizure of their guns. No draft of such legislation has yet emerged.
And Dewine, who as a member of the U.S House voted for the now-expired assault weapons ban and other gun control measures— but later changed his stance— did not reject out of hand potential assault weapons changes or a waiting period to buy guns when questioned Sunday.
The governor said any gun policy legislation he would endorse must meet three objectives — it must be constitutional, “respect the Second Amendment” and “move the ball, in other words, improve the situation.”
“That would not eliminate the chance for something like this ... but rather lessen the chance it could occur,” Dewine said at the Ohio State Fair prior to departing to Dayton for a candlelight vigil in the victims’ memory.
At the vigil, Dewine’s speech was interrupted by the crowd chanting, “Do something!”
Kasich left office in January infuriated that Ohio lawmakers failed to enact a red flag law and move on other gun violence proposals that he considered common sense.
“For the first time in my lifetime, the possibility of somebody coming through that door and shooting us exists. And we can’t do anything due to rotten, stinking politics,” Kasich said in December. During his term, he had signed several laws increasing the rights of concealed-carry gun permit holders.
Minority Democratic lawmakers in Ohio have made attempts to restrict gun sales, limit the capacity of gun magazines and take other steps, but they have gained no traction in a legislature dominated by Republicans’ pro-gun stance.
Republican House members appear to strongly support a bill, as does Dewine, to allow most Ohioans to carry a handgun without requiring a criminal background check, firearms training and a county-issued concealed carry permit. The bill was recommended for passage by one House committee, but House Speaker Larry Householder, R-glenford, has moved it to another committee for more hearings.
Meanwhile, a group dubbed Ohioans for Gun Safety is attempting to gather about 135,000 signatures to force lawmakers to consider a bill to effectively require background checks on all gun sales. If the General Assembly failed to act, another successful round of signature gathering would send the measure to a public vote on the ballot.
Gun-rights supporters still are seeking passage of a “stand your ground” bill to remove the duty to retreat, if possible, before using a gun in selfdefense in response to a threat of violence.
Kasich vetoed a bill late last year to shift the burden of proof in self-defense shootings from the defendant to prosecutors and to block local governments from enacting gun-control measures. The General Assembly overrode his veto.
After Sunday’s shooting, Senate President Larry Obhof, R-medina, said, “Our deepest sympathy goes to the families of those killed and wounded in this cowardly attack.” Householder also sent prayers and sympathies to the victims.
Senate Minority Leader Kenny Yuko, D-richmond Heights, said, “I am praying for the victims, their families and the Dayton community, but it’s time for more than prayer. We, as lawmakers, must act to save more lives from being lost to gun violence.”
U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-ohio, sounded a similar sentiment. “We are also angry — angry that shooting after shooting, politicians in Washington and Columbus refuse to pass sensible gunsafety laws to protect our communities,” Brown said.
Brown also said on CNN that he wants U.S. Senate Majority Leader Mitch Mcconnell to call for an emergency vote during Congress’s August recess to try and pass a bipartisan firearms background check bill in the wake of two mass shootings in less than 24 hours, including the one in Dayton.
U.S. Sen.rob Portman, R-ohio, said he saw workers cleaning up blood that flowed in the streets of the Oregon District. He acknowledged that something needs to be done.
“There’s something deeper going on here,” Portman said, noting that mental health issues seem to be a factor in every mass shooting.
In February, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation that would expand background checks for gun sales, including purchases at gun shows and over the internet. The bill has not been taken up for a vote by the Senate.
Ohio’s gun-death rate in 2017 was the highest since state-by-state numbers were first compiled in 1999, according to the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Of the 1,589 gun deaths in Ohio that year, 918 were by suicide, and 621 were homicides. In addition, 19 people died in accidental shootings, and 21 died from “legal intervention” — shootings by police. Ten gun deaths were unclassified. Ohio’s homicide gun-death rate was 18% higher than national rate of 4.5 deaths per 100,000 population.