Lawmakers Also Held a Hearing Wednesday on a Bill to Allow Teachers to Carry Guns in Schools Without Extensive Training
Ohio Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action volunteers released the following statement after the Criminal Justice Committee held a hearing on HB 178, legislation that would allow Ohioans to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public with no permit, no safety training, and no background check:
“Ohio lawmakers should be focused on common-sense, proven methods of preventing gun violence and saving lives — just like they said they would after last year’s mass shooting in Dayton,” said Lisa Voigt, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Instead, the first things on their list this week are more extreme gun measures that would put our communities at greater risk of gun violence.”
“I wasn’t allowed to drive a car until I passed a driver’s test,” said Mitchell Pinsky, a volunteer with the Ohio State University Students Demand Action. “Carrying a concealed handgun in public should be no different — there should be a requirement to pass a criminal background check and pass a safety training course. Lawmakers should be encouraging responsible gun ownership by strengthening gun safety laws, not trying to dismantle a permitting system that protects public safety.”
Permitless carry legislation would allow people to carry hidden, loaded handguns in public without a permit, without safety training, and without passing a background check. Additionally, the Ohio Senate Government Oversight and Reform Committee held a hearing on SB 317, a bill that would allow teachers to carry guns in schools without extensive training.
Nearly 1,500 people are shot and killed every year in Ohio. In the last decade, gun deaths have increased 54 percent, compared to an 18 percent increase nationwide.
