COLUMBUS – In the wake of a school shooting in Florida that left 17 people dead, the debate over gun control has been revived in the U.S. and is going on from Broad Street to Pennsylvania Avenue.
President Donald Trump on Wednesday expressed support for expanded background checks and other measures during a bipartisan meeting at the White House and two major retailers – Dick’s Sporting Goods and Walmart –announced restrictions on gun sales.
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Local officials in Ohio are putting pressure on the Statehouse and Gov. John Kasich to enact stricter gun control measures.
Today, I joined @CityAttyKlein and @SG_Hardin in calling on @JohnKasich to act now on responsible gun laws. As your public servants, we will act swiftly and boldly to reduce gun violence in #Columbus. https://t.co/GZjVcD7euL
— Mayor Andrew Ginther (@MayorGinther) February 28, 2018
Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and other city officials wrote to Kasich calling for stricter background checks, a ban on assault weapons and other measures, including the repeal of a state law prohibiting cities from enacting local gun bans.
Governor Kasich, this is a leadership moment for our country. You have called for cities to lead on this issue. In Columbus, we will lead boldly and without reservation to reduce gun violence. We urge you to join us. Andrew J. Ginther, Mayor of Columbus; Zach Klein, Columbus City Attorney; Shannon G. Hardin, President, Columbus City Council
This week, the Akron City Council passed a resolution asking state legislators to prohibit the sale of assault weapons, the first city to call for a statewide ban since the
A bill introduced in the Ohio Senate last week prohibits automatic and semi-automatic firearms that hold ten or more cartridges.
The Assault Weapons Ban of 2018 was introduced in the U.S. House on Tuesday with more than 167 co-sponsors. It prohibits the sale, transfer, production and import of assault weapons, and names more than 200 specific firearms.
Toby Hoover, founder of the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence, says while national policy is crucial, Ohio needs its own laws on the matter.
“It’s always sort of been a belief that where you were locally that you knew what kind of safety measures you need. And I think that holds true with this as well. And it gives the states a little more leeway than trying to go ahead and have everybody in the whole country agree on something,” she said.
Opponents of weapons bans argue they actually increase demand and illegal sales but Hoover is hopeful that other Ohio communities follow Akron’s lead.
A Quinnipiac University poll released Tuesday found 66 percent of American voters support stricter gun laws, the highest support that it has measured, and 67 percent favor a nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons.