Columbus City Council passes gun reform measure
While the city has seen a nearly 30% drop in violent crime from last year, city leaders said more needed to be done.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Columbus City Council passed gun control legislation Monday night that would prohibit the possession of a large-capacity magazine by anyone other than a federal or state agent, armed services member or a member of state or local law enforcement.
The newly passed measure also penalizes people who store their firearms when they know, or should know, that a child can gain access to them. It also penalizes the straw sales of firearms, which is when someone buys a gun to sell or give it to someone who is prohibited from having one.
Councilwoman Shayla Favors said the measure “prohibits the reckless selling, lending, giving, or furnishing of a firearm to a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm.”
While the city has seen a nearly 30% drop in violent crime from last year, city leaders said more needed to be done.
Councilmember Emmanuel Remy said the measure should have an impact on areas like Wedgewood Village Apartments, where three teenagers have been shot in the last week.
“We are all working very hard to try to end the violence in the city. These are just small steps that will help us get there. We all have to work together,” Remy said.
Buckeye Firearms Association, a gun-rights lobby, opposed the measure, saying in part, “Only the state of Ohio can establish gun laws, and this proposal is a clear-cut violation of the law and the Ohio Constitution.”
The city is taking advantage of a recent court ruling, in which a Franklin County judge granted a temporary injunction that prevents the state from using its power to tell the city what it can when it comes to regulation firearms.
The legislation now goes to Mayor Andrew Ginther for his signature.