Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine's introduction Tuesday of a package of legislative priorities to help curb gun violence drew mixed reviews from Ohioans.
While many said they favor DeWine's proposals, several said they don't go far enough -- or go too far in trampling on the civil liberties of gun owners.
And they are skeptical that the Republican-controlled General Assembly will follow DeWine's lead, despite the mass shooting last weekend in which nine people were killed in Dayton's Oregon entertainment district.
"I think the laws right now are definitely too soft," said Douglas Umpleby, 67, a Clinton Township gun owner. "We have to do something."
Umpleby said he favors increasing penalties for illegal activity that includes guns, but he doesn't think that expanded background checks would prevent mass shootings such as those in Dayton and El Paso, Texas, last weekend.
"I just think the guns are getting out of hand all around," said Tyerica Dyson, 33, of Linden. "I do think (DeWine's proposals) will help. The problem is there are so many illegal guns out there."
DeWine's proposals don't address people who are buying guns "off the streets" where background checks cannot be enforced, Dyson said. Many such buyers are former offenders who can't find jobs and instead turn to crime, she said. Programs that help ex-offenders find jobs could help, she said.
Dyson said she actually supports an outright ban on gun ownership to remove them from the hands of people who want to use them in violent crimes.
But banning guns would only force those who want to buy them to "black markets," said John Cancila, 31, of Worthington.
Cancila said he owns a revolver for home defense but that he favors "common-sense legislation as far as who should or should not be able to purchase any weapon," such as expanded background checks.
"I find myself in this position where it seems like common sense. I don't understand the counter-argument against it," he said.
Gahanna resident Joseph Uehlin, 40, said DeWine's proposals don't go far enough because they don't ban assault weapons "just made to kill large quantities of people." But he worries that a red-flag law could be abused by someone who simply wants to remove guns from an individual who poses no danger.
"The idea comes down to constitutionality," said Rusty Reeves, 50, of Roseville, just south of Zanesville. "What rights are you going to let them take?"
Reeves said selling guns to a felon should be a crime, but he generally doesn't want more gun regulation. He said he fears that a so-called red flag law wouldn't give gun owners the chance to defend themselves in court before their guns are taken.
"That's a real problem. That's not due process," he said.
DeWine said Tuesday that his proposal would require a judge to rule, based on clear and convincing evidence, that the individual is a danger before taking guns away. If approved, a hearing would be required within three days.
Giving someone who could be a threat several days before a hearing to remove guns could open a window for them to commit a crime before a judge can rule, said Dawn Scott, 48, of Dublin. She said she prefers more gun control, including expanded background checks, and treating mental illness for those who might commit crimes.
"I think if you have nothing to hide you should be willing to do a background check. Because if you're buying a gun with good intentions, your background check isn't going to show anything," she said.
A better solution to combat gun violence would be to have more "righteous citizens" armed with guns, not restricting access to them, said John Allan, 30, of Columbus. He said background checks would be ineffective at deterring crime.
Over in Dayton, Amelia O'Dowd lives two blocks from where the mass shooting occurred early Sunday morning. She said she doubts DeWine's plan will spark legal changes that effectively deter similar shootings. She said the GOP governor's proposals are unlikely to pass the GOP-controlled state legislature.
"If Sandy Hook wasn't enough for us, nothing is going to be enough," she said.
(c)2019 The Columbus Dispatch (Columbus, Ohio)
