COLUMBUS – In the wake of a deadly attack on a Pittsburgh synagogue and a threat aimed at a Youngstown-area Jewish center, Gov. Mike DeWine and U.S. Sen. Rob Portman hosted the Ohio Faith-Based Security Conference at the Jewish Community Center of Greater Columbus on the East Side Thursday.
The conference, attended by about 100 members of the Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, and Sikh communities included a panel discussion and presentations by security experts focusing on security measures to help prevent attacks and respond to potential threats
“I think sometimes after these occurrences, we try and see whether this is someone coming for the right or from the left and I think the reality is they’re haters, they’re people who are anti-social, they’re people who have a propensity to violence,” said DeWine, who called such people “domestic terrorists.”.
Congress has increased funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program to $60 million in the 2019 fiscal year and money for armed security personnel has been added to the program, Portman said.
DeWine says $4.7 million has been earmarked for security-related measures in the current two-year state budget.
“Ohio is on the cutting edge of this,” Portman said. “The budget that Governor DeWine talked about is a big increase in funding that is going to help with regard to this issue, so I appreciate him being here and the focus we have here in Ohio on standing up to hatred and bigotry.”
The idea of bringing together faith-based groups and non-profit entities originated after a discussion Portman had with the Jewish community after the shooting at the Pittsburgh Tree of Life synagogue in October 2018.
DeWine and Portman both spoke in favor of tightening the nation’s system of background checks for gun buyers and some version of a “red flag law” intended to give courts the authority to keep guns out of the hands of individuals identified by family members or law enforcement agencies as being at high risk for committing violent acts.
Both measures have gained momentum since a deadly shooting in Dayton last month as well as shootings in California and Texas.