Ohio lawmakers introduce multiple bills tackling gun safety

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Lawmakers in Ohio held a press conference Tuesday morning announcing multiple pieces of legislation to promote gun safety in the state.

Democratic State Senators Hearcel Craig, Nickie Antonio and Vernon Sykes all announced legislation to combat gun violence and gun-related deaths in Ohio with bills targeting gun storage, domestic abusers and mental health issues.

Senator Sykes announced two pieces of legislation including Senate Bill 188, which would provide gun owners the option to store their guns outside of their homes.

The bill would allow guns to be stored with licensed gun dealer or shooting range owners in order to prevent the gun from winding up in the wrong hands. Dealers who participate would have legal immunity if someone were to retrieve the stored gun and use it to harm or kill others.

Additionally, Sykes discussed Senate Bill 189, which would give gun owners who safely handle and store their guns a non-refundable income tax credit of $250 per person per year to cover the cost of handgun safety training, secure storage or locking devices.

Senator Antonio discussed a third piece of legislation on domestic violence, which would codify a federal law preventing convicted domestic abusers from possessing guns into Ohio law.

"Ohio doesn't prohibit convicted domestic abusers or people subject to domestic violence protection orders from purchasing or possessing guns. This isn't a new idea. It's already federal law. We've introduced Senate Bill 187, which will harmonize Ohio law with federal law by removing the availability of domestic abusers to lawfully possess guns," Senator Antonio said.

Finally, Senator Craig announced a fourth piece of legislation designed to help those with mental health issues and suicidal thoughts. 

The "Suicide Self-Defense Act" (Senate Bill 164) would give those who believe them to be a danger to themselves or others the ability to voluntarily place themselves on a "do not possess" list in order to restrict themselves from owning guns.

Senator Craig says that Ohio's suicide rate is higher than the national average with 62% of Ohio's gun deaths being suicides in 2019.

"During a suicide crisis, a person is not thinking clearly and may act impulsively. Suicide Crises may be isolated, short-term or recurring throughout a person's life. ... Restricting access to guns and reducing gun ownership decreases the risk of gun suicides," Craig said.