As The Ohio Star reported Tuesday, just one Republican lawmaker explicitly said in a survey conducted by six Ohio news organizations that he opposes Gov. Mike DeWine’s proposed red-flag law.
The survey was conducted by Akron Beacon Journal, Canton Repository, Columbus Dispatch, Dayton Daily News, and Toledo Blade. The organizations received responses from 62 of the 99 House members and 27 of the 33 Senate members.
They asked lawmakers the yes-or-no question of: “Do you support DeWine’s proposal?”
Just one Republican in the Ohio General Assembly, State Rep. Niraj Antani (R-Miamisburg), explicitly said “no.” At least nine Republicans in the General Assembly said they support the measure. The rest either didn’t respond or said they are waiting for a bill to be introduced to make a decision.
In total, 40 Republicans across both chambers said they were either unsure or waiting to the see the “bill language,” according to the survey.
Many state Republicans have spoken out against red-flag laws in the past, and are likely to do so in the future. Since the survey was state-based, it didn’t offer any insight into what U.S. Representatives from Ohio think about national red-flag laws.
Rather, the survey suggested that the “GOP-controlled legislature could be convinced to pass its first gun-control bill in years,” as The Cincinnati Enquirer said of the results.
Many Republicans in Ohio’s General Assembly were vocally opposed to red-flag laws under Gov. John Kasich’s administration.
State Rep. Nino Vitale (R-Urbana), for instance, released a video in November 2018 explaining his opposition to Kasich’s call for a red-flag law.
More recently, U.S. Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH-04) wrote on Twitter that he opposes red-flag laws.
“The problem with red flag laws is you’re guilty until proven innocent. It’s the same inverted standard that Bob Mueller tried to apply to President Trump. But that’s not how justice works in our great country,” Jordan said.
The problem with Red Flag laws is you’re guilty until proven innocent.
It’s the same inverted standard that Bob Mueller tried to apply to President Trump.
But that’s not how justice works in our great country.https://t.co/kDUy0IUFyx
— Rep. Jim Jordan (@Jim_Jordan) August 16, 2019
Gov. DeWine’s full 17-point proposal to address gun violence can be found here. The first proposal on the list asks the Ohio General Assembly to support Safety Protection Orders, a formal name for red-flag laws, which was the focus of the recent survey.
You can find out where your representative stands on red-flag laws by searching the database provided by the Cincinnati Enquirer.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mike DeWine” by Mike DeWine.
