Mayors don’t let up on push for background checks

When nine members of an Indiana white-supremacist group showed up for a rally in Dayton last May, something else showed up with them — assault-style rifles brandished by scores of counterprotesters.

During the white-supremacist rally, attended by nine KKK members, “there were 75 assault weapons on the streets, people were wearing them,” Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley said Tuesday during an appearance in Columbus. The Dayton Daily News reported that the city spent $650,000 to police the event.

“When you have that many open-carry guns with such high power, it becomes a challenge to keep everybody safe,” Whaley said.

As the nation heads into what is almost certain to be a heated and emotionally charged presidential election next year, open-carry states including Ohio are more and more often experiencing what was once an uncommon feature of large political rallies — heavily armed attendees shouldering military-style weapons.

When presidential candidate and former U.S. Rep. Beto O’rourke visits Kent on Wednesday, for example, he’ll be greeted by at least two open-carry marchers.

“It is a concern,” Whaley said. “Frankly, it really drives up the cost of these rallies . ... It’s an open-carry state. They can carry whatever gun they want because the gun is allowed.”

For the second time in two weeks, Whaley and Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley were in Columbus pushing for universal background checks on gun purchases and to urge lawmakers to act on Gov. Mike Dewine’s proposed gun-safety package, which includes measures to temporarily remove guns from dangerous people, require more background checks and increase mental health resources.

“It’s frustrating,” said Bryan Barnett, mayor of Rochester Hills, Michigan, and the president of the United States Conference of Mayors, who was in Columbus to meet with other mayors Tuesday.

“We had a sign that said, you know, you can’t bring guns into our parks.” Barnett said. “We were challenged (in court), and they said, ‘Yeah, you can.’ And so now you can have guns in our parks and guns just about everywhere.”

At present, the push for universal gun background checks has surpassed other issues to become the Conference of Mayor’s highest priority, Barnett said.

“It shouldn’t be a surprise that mayors are at the forefront of those discussions,” Barnett said.

Columbus Mayor Andrew J. Ginther, who also attended the media event, declined to speak to The Dispatch, referring questions to his spokeswoman instead.

Chuck Larosa, a spokesman for Ohioans for Concealed Carry, couldn’t be reached for comment Tuesday afternoon.