Columbus, OH - The U.S. House recently passed a bill requiring states to do a better job sharing information for gun purchase background checks, and Ohio is already working to do just that. Attorney General Marc Dann says Ohio's background check database should include all people convicted of felonies or who have been judged mentally ill, and that information should be shared with federal law enforcement. He says state and federal background checks can't work without that information.
"If the situation like the shooter in Virginia Tech had happened here, he would've been able to get a concealed carry permit because nobody was checking that database. We've corrected that now. And then we're working with the probate courts and some other folks around the state to make that database even better."
Dann adds that there is one key gap to fill -- many people who have been convicted of felonies, but placed on probation, don't end up on the database.
While the proposed federal law enjoys widespread support, from gun control advocates to the National Rifle Association, there are some controversial provisions like including exemptions that would remove many people with mental illness from the database. Dann notes that Ohio is already on the way to being in compliance with the federal proposal and could go above and beyond.
"Ohio will make its own decisions. There's nothing that would prevent us from going farther than the federal law requires."
The background checks would still only apply to registered firearms dealers. The "gun show" exemption would remain, which critics say is a major loophole in background check laws.
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Missouri Democrats have filed legislation which would prompt a vote to return gun possession rules to local governments. The move was prompted by a deadly shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs Super Bowl victory parade.
In 2021, Gov. Mike Parsons signed the Second Amendment Preservation Act, a controversial law preventing federal law from overreaching on a person's right to bear arms.
Law enforcement agencies with officers who knowingly enforce any federal laws could be sued and fined up to $50,000.
Rep. Cristal Quade, D-Springfield, the House Minority Leader, called the parade shooting an example of the state's weak gun laws.
"Law enforcement officers are begging and pleading with us to allow them to do their jobs," Quade pointed out. "The basics of juveniles in the city being able to carry guns and cops pulling them over and not being able to take them from them. And to the speaker's comment, laws don't fix things. Then what the hell are we doing as lawmakers? Why are we here at all?"
Majority Republicans scrapped a bill which would have allowed concealed guns in transit and places of worship. They did, however, attempt to change Missouri's initiative petition process, which would have made any proposals -- like this one for local control or abortion rights -- difficult to pass.
Quade argued voters should have the opportunity to let local officials pass common-sense gun laws reflecting the needs of their communities. She contended House majority leaders are just tiptoeing around the issue.
"They keep saying that they need to pass these bills to make Missourians safer," Quade observed. "Obviously, they know that it will not make Missourians safer. What they're doing is trying to score political pointed for these primaries where they're running against each other and they are using our children as political fodder."
Platte County Democrat Ashley Aune tried to speak about gun violence in the House on Tuesday, and posted video footage that appeared to show Republicans shutting her down, with someone telling the House speaker, "I think she should just sit."
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New legislation under consideration by Kentucky lawmakers would allow police to confiscate guns from people whose family members are concerned about their mental health, by petitioning for a Crisis Aversion Rights Retention Order.
Senate Bill 13 would also create an Office for Safer Communities.
Cathy Hobart - the chapter leader of Kentucky Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America - said the bill is aimed at preventing tragic situations from happening, especially in cases where others suspect possible suicide, homicide, or a mass shooting.
"If they thought there really was an immediate danger, they would petition a judge to administer the protective order," said Hobart. "And, this is really a way to protect the gun owner in those times of crisis."
The Commonwealth continues to have some of the weakest gun laws in the country. According to Everytown USA, Kentucky ranks 40th among states for rates of gun violence.
According to Kentucky Youth Advocates, in 2020 91% of homicide deaths occurred in children between ages 1 and 17, and around 66% of these deaths involved firearms.
Hobart said gun-violence legislation in previous years has been slow to move through the Legislature, but she remains hopeful.
"For the first time," said Hobart, "our legislators are talking about gun-violence prevention in a way that they haven't, in the last five years, since I've been involved in the movement."
This April marks the one-year anniversary of the Old National Bank Shooting in Louisville, where a 25-year-old man killed five of his work colleagues, and critically injured a police officer.
A Louisville Metro Police Department report revealed the gunman's mental-health struggles and his intent to commit a mass shooting.
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Virginia's Senate recently passed a series of gun safety bills, which now head to the House.
Among them are measures to ban assault weapons in public, ban "ghost guns," and increasing other safety measures.
The bills come as many states and the federal government are taking a hard look at gun violence. Last year, Virginia saw a reduction in gun violence, due in part to community violence prevention funds. But the state still ranks high for gun deaths.
Kelsey Cowger, press secretary for Progress VA, said based on other state progress, the bills are essential to keeping Virginians safe.
"When movement has been possible, it's been a base that we can work off of that stops the insane level of killing within our communities that already exists and allows us to catch our breath a little bit," Cowger asserted.
Some Republicans in both General Assembly chambers oppose the bills, noting they restrict a person's 2nd Amendment rights. Yet, polls show the bills have widespread support across party lines. The measures have been referred to the House Committee on Public Safety.
Cowger contended the bills are a steady foundation for Virginia to build on. While other reforms can prove crucial for reducing gun violence further, she stressed the state needs to get this current set of legislation on the books first.
"You know, as much as I would like to sort of look with an eye towards the future for the kind of changes we can make, I feel like we just need the foundation first," Cowger acknowledged. "We need to be able to gauge whether or not dangerous people have guns."
National gun violence deaths have been declining since they peaked in 2021. In Virginia, there have been more than 9,300 shootings between 2014 and 2022, which resulted in more injuries than fatalities.
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