Ohio Democrats roll out gun legislation including declaring gun violence a public health crisis

Ohio Democrats once again are pushing gun legislation, including declaration of gun violence as a public health crisis.

The introduction of five bills that deal with universal background checks and concealed carry restrictions, among other things, comes in the week of a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs' Super Bowl victory parade.

“Gun violence in our cities, our state and across the country is now a daily occurrence,” House Minority Leader Allison Russo, D-Upper Arlington, said at what Democrats called a Gun Violence Prevention Summit. “There’s not a single day that goes by that we don’t lose individuals in our community to gun violence, and no place is immune from this issue – gun violence occurs in neighborhoods, schools, university campuses, nightclubs, concerts, churches, grocery stores, shopping centers, and even parades to celebrate the Super Bowl champions.”

The summit promoted five expected pieces of legislation, including:

• Keeping Our Survivors Safe Act.

• Declaring Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis.

• Commonsense Concealed Carry.

• Universal Background Checks Act.

• Ohio Task Force on Gun Violence.

Commonsense Concealed Carry would repeal the state’s permitless concealed carry law and require people to follow basic training and regulations when getting a permit. It would also require people to notify law enforcement if they are carrying a concealed handgun during a traffic stop.

The Universal Background Checks Act would require a background check to be completed at the time of purchase. Private sellers would have to complete a transfer at either a federally licensed firearm dealer or a local law enforcement office that has already done a background check.

“Restricting the rights of law-abiding gun owners to defend themselves, their families, and their homes would do nothing to deter abusers of those rights from unlawful and irresponsible actions,” Joe D. “Buck” Roth wrote on the Buckeye Firearms Association website. “This country's elected federal, state, and local leaders must adhere to the Constitution while getting to the real heart of the matter and stop with the useless virtue signaling that does nothing but help fund their campaigns at election time.”

In Kansas City on Wednesday, multiple media outlets reported one fatality and 11 of 22 people injured were children, as previously reported by The Center Square. More than a million people are estimated to have attended the event and security included about 1,000 police officers and FBI personnel.