By Cindy Peters
Ohio Statehouse
State Senator Cecil Thomas (D-Avondale) issued the following statement in response to the recent incidents of gun violence in Ohio:
“I’m sickened by the number of people who have been killed by gun violence in Ohio in the last week alone, including four right here in Cincinnati.
Governor DeWine said that “enough is enough,” but we reached that point years ago. How many more people have to die before we finally do something to protect the lives of our fellow Ohioans?
“We have a duty as elected officials to proactively look after our communities instead of just reacting to situations as they occur. That’s why I’m once again calling on my colleagues in the General Assembly to finally prioritize our constituents’ safety by passing long-overdue sensible gun control legislation. Beyond that, I’m urging the Governor to commit additional financial resources to address gun violence and expand community efforts like the Cincinnati Initiative to Reduce Violence.
“Tougher penalties are not the solution. We will never be able to arrest our way out of this problem. Instead, we must help those individuals get their lives back on track before they’re totally destroyed.”