COLUMBUS — In August 2019, Gov. Mike DeWine promised he would “do something” to stop gun violence. It followed the death of nine innocent people at the hands of a gunman in Dayton’s Oregon District. Police responded within seconds and returned fire, killing the gunman and stopping further loss of life.
DeWine introduced a proposal in the legislature he termed “Strong Ohio” which quickly went nowhere. Rather than pass new laws restricting access to guns, lawmakers did the opposite and approved bills to loosen restrictions, including a “stand your ground” law that allows people to use deadly force anywhere and any time they feel that their lives are threatened. Supporters said it would allow law-abiding Ohioans to protect themselves.
A large portion of the DeWine “Strong Ohio” plan would have kept guns out of the hands of people who the legal system identifies as among those who should not have access to guns. They include people convicted of a crime who are under court order to not posses a gun. Another measure would have allowed greater flexibility for judges to temporarily keep a person in mental distress from their own weapons while they undergo a mental evaluation and counseling.
Now, DeWine is trying again with a proposal, not yet defined in writing, that is contained in his new two-year state budget.
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“We are not giving up. The pledge I made to the people of the Miami Valley, we are going to continue to fight, continue to do everything we can to support local law enforcement. We are going to do everything we can to continue the commitment I made to the people of the Miami Valley in regard to initiatives that will save lives,” DeWine said.
Another public safety aspect of the budget proposal provides $10 million to help police departments pay for officer body cameras. The state estimates two-thirds of departments across Ohio do not have the cameras, mostly because of the cost of the cameras, the video storage expenses and the personnel to handle public records requests for the video.
“My goal is every police officer in the state of Ohio will have a body camera. I think it protects police, it protects the public. It’s good to have that transparency. And it’s the right thing to do,” DeWine said.
The same budget plan also includes $5 million in grants to Ohio school districts and universities for safety initiatives. They include technology and preventative techniques to help detect “red flags” in the community that might indicate a violent outbreak might be in the making before it actually happens.
Legislative hearings on the DeWine budget plan begin in the Ohio House Finance Committee Thursday morning. Additional details of the Governor’s gun-related reform proposal are expected to be released later when language of the budget bill is published.