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Columbus mulls new strategy to limit gun violence. Could it work?
In defiance of a gun loving state legislature, the city of Columbus is mulling a novel legal strategy: treating gun violence as a public nuisance. Rather than passing a local law restricting gun access that would likely be struck down in court, Columbus officials indicated they want to instead invoke a state law that says […]
EPA coal ash crackdown could shutter southeast Ohio power plant
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency is cracking down on groundwater pollution from the James M. Gavin power plant in Cheshire, which some say could mean the beginning of the end for Ohio’s largest coal-fired facility. The plant’s coal ash pond, a 58-acre reservoir that holds the noxious waste left behind from burnt coal, is unlined. […]
Senate committee votes to scrap training, background checks for concealed carry permits
The hearing began with a moment of silence to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, in which a young man shot and killed 20 children and six adults. It ended with Republicans on the Veterans and Public Safety Committee voting to send to the Senate floor legislation to remove training […]
House GOP passes bill removing training, background checks for concealed guns
The Ohio House passed legislation Wednesday allowing Ohioans aged 21-and-up to carry concealed weapons without undergoing any background check or firearms training. Under current law, Ohioans must complete eight hours of training and pass a background check via their local sheriff for a five-year, concealed carry license. The legislation would remove the requirement to seek […]
NAACP, Democrats file lawsuit over new “stand your ground” law
Two Democratic lawmakers and the NAACP filed a lawsuit Thursday seeking to overturn a recently passed “stand your ground” law, which removes Ohioans’ legal duty to try to retreat before responding to a perceived attack with deadly force. The legislation passed in the dying hours of the previous General Assembly often known as the “lame […]
After a week of gun violence, House Republicans seek to expand concealed carry
After a spate of seven mass shootings around the U.S. in seven days, Ohio House Republicans introduced legislation that would allow Ohioans aged 21 and older to carry a concealed weapon without a license. House Bill 227, introduced Tuesday by Republican Reps. Thomas Brinkman and Kris Jordan and co-sponsored by 20 more, also contains other […]
‘Stand Your Ground’ laws tied to racial inequities, increase in violent crime, researchers say
Laws that expand the right to shoot to kill in perceived self-defense yield unequal consequences in the justice system depending on whether the person shot was white, according to research published Monday. So-called “stand your ground” laws, one of which was passed in Ohio last year, are also associated with a modest to robust increase […]
DeWine asked for gun control. Lawmakers gave him a ‘make my day’ bill.
The Ohio Senate passed a “stand your ground” bill Friday, sending to Gov. Mike DeWine a proposal that would rescind a requirement that gun owners first seek to elude a confrontation before responding with bullets. If passed, Senate Bill 175 would hand a major victory to gun advocacy groups like the National Rifle Association and […]
House passes ‘stand your ground’ expanding right to shoot to kill in self-defense
The Ohio House passed legislation late Thursday evening that removes a legal requirement that people try to retreat from a confrontation before shooting to kill in perceived self-defense. The legislation, commonly referred to as “stand your ground,” passed in a 52-31 vote around 11:30 p.m. If passed into law, it rescinds what’s known as the […]
Senate committee passes “stand your ground” bill as lame duck deadline approaches
Republicans voted Wednesday night to send a bill to the Ohio Senate floor that would expand the right to shoot to kill in perceived self-defense in Ohio. Senate Bill 383 passed on a party line vote just around 8:15 p.m. It says a person has no “duty to retreat” before using lethal force if he […]