The Governor is expected to announce his plan on Monday Oct 7th.

OCAGV sent him a letter of concerns on Oct 3rd and this is our press release about the letter.

https://ohioceasefire.salsalabs.org/govletter

Press release 10-4-19 Columbus, Ohio: Yesterday the Ohio Coalition Against Gun Violence thanked Governor DeWine for his willingness to address gun violence prevention. Strengthening our background check records is long overdue and will save lives. Better and more treatment for mental illness is also a much needed step. Our concern is that mental illness is not the cause of gun violence and the mental health professionals should drive the needs and solutions.

At the same time, we asked for a comprehensive gun violence prevention plan that must address multiple forms of gun violence, as a way to also incorporate multiple solutions. We encourage solutions to address suicides, access to assault weapons and large high-capacity ammunition magazines, comprehensive background checks and the daily acts of violence suffered in all of our communities.

We also expressed concern regarding some of the Governor’s reported 17 points including the overemphasis on extending criminal penalties, allowing those deemed possibly suicidal or homicidal to keep their guns until hearings three days later, and mandatory institutionalization that further stigmatizes mental illness.

As an organization founded more than 20 years ago by victims and survivors of gun violence we asked for an inclusive statewide task force to be immediately convened around the issue of gun violence as a public health crisis. The task force should represent all walks of life and professions.

Our solutions call for policies that control large capacity magazines, crisis intervention that temporarily removes weapons immediately during a crisis or threat of one, a repeal of preemption to allow for community control and interventions and a task force devoted to guns as a public health crisis.

We ask that gun violence be addressed as soon as possible to save lives and be preventative.

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