Kasich releases gun reform proposals for Ohio

Ohio Gov. John Kasich (R) on Thursday announced a series of proposals aimed at curbing gun violence in the state, including improved background checks and a law providing a recourse to take a dangerous person’s weapons.

“We want to make sure that we can bring greater safety to the state, but at the same time not frightening people who believe very strongly in their ability to practice the Second Amendment,” Kasich said at a news conference.

Kasich convened a group of state leaders in November to come up with policies that would address gun violence in Ohio.

The governor announced the group’s findings Thursday, roughly two weeks after a gunman killed 17 people at a high school in Parkland, Fla.

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Among the proposals from Kasich is creating a gun violence protection order, which would allow police to take away a person’s weapons if a court determines the individual poses a threat to themselves or others.

During a Wednesday meeting at the White House, Vice President Pence suggested that states might consider a similar law to keep guns away from dangerous individuals.

President Trump interjected to say that courts can take too long in many cases, and that he doesn’t want mentally ill people to have access guns.

“Take the guns first, go through due process second,” he said.

Kasich’s other major proposals unveiled on Thursday involved updating the state’s background check systems and imposing a punishment on jurisdictions that fail to update the state registry.

He credited the press with pointing out past failures across the state to keep the existing system updated. 

Kasich’s group also suggested bringing the state’s policies on bump stocks in line with any federal law the Trump administration approves. The device, which allows a semi-automatic weapon to fire more rapidly, has received increased scrutiny following the shooting on the Las Vegas strip in October.

Here are the proposals Gov. Kasich’s gun control working group produced- pic.twitter.com/9S9JI6R8iY

— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) March 1, 2018

The fate of the proposals rests with the Republican-controlled state legislature. Kasich said he’ll be engaged with state lawmakers, but said it will ultimately be their responsibility to pass the reforms.

“This is going to be the legislature’s effort,” he said. “This is something that they have to work on. I don’t intend to brow beat them. I’m going to encourage them every step of the way.”

The debate over gun law reforms has been renewed following the Florida shooting last month. Some lawmakers have discussed raising the age requirement to purchase a rifle, banning bump stocks and strengthening background checks, though certain proposals have been met with some resistance in the GOP-led Congress.