Ohio Politician Calls For Action On Background Check Legislation

LORAIN, OH — Rep. Marcy Kaptur has urged her peers in the Senate to pass firearm background check legislation following the mass shooting in Dayton that left nine people dead. She has called on Senator Mitch McConnell to convene a special session of Congress to vote on the bills.

“In recent years, Americans across the country have fallen victim by the thousands to domestic terrorists – and at an ever-increasing rate. The combination of on-line radicalization, an unregulated, for-profit firearms industry, and a President who proudly stokes the flames of prejudice for political gain, have all contributed to the rise of domestic terrorist incidents that are of unparalleled scope in our society," Kaptur said in a statement.

On early Sunday, a rifle-toting man dressed in body armor opened fire outside Ned Peppers Bar in a popular historic district in Dayton. Nine people were killed and 27 others were wounded. Police then killed the gunman.

Law enforcement have since identified the suspected shooter as Connor Betts, 24. The attack lasted less than one minute.

Governor Mike DeWine held a vigil in Dayton on August 4, hoping to offer words of support to the community. However, the overflow crowd quickly began shouting down DeWine, telling him repeatedly to "do something."

“It is, however, a profound injustice that our nation’s leaders, specifically those within the Republican Party, have refused to act with similar urgency in a single case, even while tragedies like those in Ohio and Texas continue to take place again and again," Kaptur said.

Kaptur wants the U.S. Senate to pass H.R. 8 and H.R. 1112, legislation that strengthens America's background check system. Both bills received bipartisan support in the U.S. House. They have not been called to the floor for a vote in the U.S. Senate.

Ohio Democrats joined Kaptur's call for action, pressuring DeWine and Republican lawmakers to take action at the state-level. Rep. Joe Miller, from Amherst, said the Ohio Congress should pass legislation instituting universal background checks and "red flag" policies for potentially dangerous gun owners.

Miller's call was echoed by Democrats from across the state.