Gun Violence Legislation Introduced By Ohio Governor

COLUMBUS, OH — With the eyes of the nation on Ohio, and protesters demanding action, Governor Mike DeWine has introduced legislation to reform background checks for firearm sales and improve access to mental health services.

“Gun violence doesn’t just take the form of mass shootings, people are victims every day in Ohio and across the country,” said DeWine in a statement on Tuesday. “I believe that this is both a public safety issue and an individual wellness issue – we must address both sides to help solve the problem. It’s time to do something, and that is exactly what we are going to do.”

On early Sunday, a gunman clad in body armor opened fire outside a bar in Dayton. He killed nine people and wounded 27 others before police shot and killed him. The attack lasted less than one minute, according to officials.

DeWine visited Dayton on Sunday night, the same day as the shooting, and tried to express his sympathies to the city during a vigil. Instead, attendees began shouting "Do something!" at the governor. Soon, the screams for action became a unified chant. Teary-eyed Dayton residents demanded DeWine take action to curb the spread of gun violence in Ohio.

The scene was captured on film and shared widely on social media. DeWine later said the moment partly served as a catalyst for Tuesday's legislative action.

"Some in the crowd were angry — and I understand that anger, in fact, Fran (DeWine's wife) and I are angry as well, for it is impossible to make sense out of the senseless. Some chanted, “do something" — and they were right. It is time to do something, and that is exactly what we are going to do," DeWine said.

Here are some of the reforms DeWine is asking the Ohio Congress to consider:

• Safety Protection Orders — This legislation would allow courts to bar certain dangerous individuals from having firearms. The individual could also be mandated to receive mental health treatment.
• Background checks — Background checks would be needed for all gun sales in Ohio, with few exceptions. One instance of an exception would be guns sold by one family member to another family member.
• Increased penalties for felons and violent felons that get firearms
• Increased penalties for people that commit felonies using a gun
• Increased penalties for "straw" purchases — Straw purchases are the buying guns for the explicit purpose of giving them to someone else who legally is not allowed to have a firearm. While this practice is illegal it's still very common, DeWine's office said. The governor wants to increase the penalty for straw purchases to a second-degree felony punishable by two to eight years in prison.

The governor has also proposed improving access to mental health screening and services. Here are a few of his key proposals in that arena:

• Improve access to inpatient psychiatric care — Most of Ohio's state psychiatric hospitals are filled with people ordered there by courts (approximately 79 percent of patients). DeWine wants to reform the competency restoration process to free up beds for individuals seeking care.
• Early intervention — The state is investing $675 million in mental health programs for schools and social service organizations.

“I believe these proposals fulfill three important requirements. They can pass the legislature, they make meaningful progress toward safer communities, and they are Constitutional. Passing them won’t be easy, but this is the right thing to do and this is the right time to do it,” DeWine added. “We can pull together to do meaningful things to protect lives. It won’t be easy, but I believe in this state, and I believe in our people.”

Additional information on all of DeWine's proposals has been shared by the governor's office.