Mayor John Cranley, surrounded by local officials involved in the efforts to reduce gun violence in the city, announces the city’s plans to address the violence. Herald Photo
By Dan Yount
The Cincinnati Herald
Mayor John Cranley was joined by community leaders and anti-gun violence advocates on the steps of City Hall June 6 to announce the city’s latest efforts to combat gun violence.
He also discussed advocacy efforts for a statewide red flag law, smart gun technology, city procurement power when purchasing weapons and ammunition and future statewide lobbying efforts for safer gun laws.
CRANLEY, who chairs the Mayors and Police Chiefs Task Force for the U.S. Conference of Mayors, recently hosted an event in Toledo with mayors and police chiefs from around the country to discuss gun violence reduction and prevention strategies.
Citing an epidemic of gun violence in the city and country, Cranley stressed the need for more local control over gun violence, citing the city’s efforts prohibit to bump stocks that can turn guns into a military style weapons used by terrorists. The state overturned the city’s bump stock ban.
The city of Cincinnati has joined other cities, including Columbus, in filing suit against the state for the passage of HB 228. The bill removes restrictions in the areas of self-defense and carrying concealed weapons penalties.
It seeks to increase protections for those who use a firearm in self-defense by (a) introducing a “Stand Your Ground” provision that expands the locations at which a person has no duty to retreat before using force from just one’s residence and vehicle to any place a person is lawfully present, and (b) shifting the burden of disproving a self-defense assertion from the defense to the prosecution.
THE BILL also modifies the Concealed Handgun Licensing Law by eliminating a licensees’ duty to keep the their hands in plain sight if impracticable, reducing the penalties for illegally carrying a concealed firearm or improperly handling firearms in a motor vehicle and eliminating the requirement of posting warning signs regarding the possession of weapons on specified premises.
The city’s stance is the legislation would be a violation of the city’s home-rule authority, pre-empting reasonable legislative action to reduce gun violence, despite the desire of our citizens to do so.