By: José Niño
After the Dayton, Ohio massacre of 2019, Republican Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine suggested passing a form of red flag gun confiscation order and a universal gun registration scheme. Gun owners were, however, able to make enough noise to keep DeWine from folding to the anti-gun mob then.
Now, those efforts could be undone after a surge of gun incidents took place in Cincinnati on the morning of August 16, 2020, which left four people dead and 14 others wounded.
“Ohio must act,” DeWine declared in a statement he issued last Sunday. “As more and more people are hurt and killed by gun violence, I am again urging Ohio’s legislature to pass our #STRONGOhio bill. This bill will help protect our citizens while also respecting the Second Amendment and due process rights.”
The proposed bill would establish a mandatory background check system, erode doctor-patient confidentiality, and stiffen firearm possession penalties.
According to a report from Cincinnati law enforcement on August 16, the authorities revealed that they were unaware of any links between the aforementioned four shooting incidents.
“This amount of gun violence and the damage this has inflicted on our neighborhoods is unacceptable,” Cincinnati Police Chief Eliot K. Isaac said in a release. “I am calling on all citizens of this great city to say enough is enough. We must not sit by silently and say we can’t do anything to end gun violence. We all have a moral obligation to stop the violence and stop the killing in our communities.”
As far as gun policy is concerned, Ohio is ranked in a middling 23rd place for Guns & Ammo Magazine’s list of best states for gun owners rankings.
The state is under full Republican control, so certain gun grabs will likely be dead on arrival. Nonetheless, Republican control does not always guarantee our rights will be safe.
This is why the grassroots exists. Through relentless activism and pressure, Second Amendment activists can ensure that Republicans live up to their word and defend our rights from the forces of despotism. Not holding their feet to the fire will give opportunistic officials like DeWine opportunities to cut deals with the Left and undermine our freedoms.
José Niño is a Venezuelan American freelance writer based in Austin, Texas. Sign up for his mailing list here. Contact him via Facebook, Twitter, or email him at [email protected]. Get his e-book, The 10 Myths of Gun Control, here.