Gov. Mike DeWine told the media Monday morning that he has asked his team to draft a red-flag bill to send to the Republican-controlled General Assembly.
Former Gov. John Kasich repeatedly lobbied for red-flag legislation in the state, and refused to sign a controversial “Stand Your Ground” bill at the end of last session because it didn’t include such a provision.
After another fatal shooting over the weekend, DeWine seems to be following in Kasich’s footsteps.
“I am deeply concerned about what we are seeing in this country in regards to attacks on houses of worship,” DeWine said. “This is something that has to be deplored, I deplore – it’s sickening. People who go to worship certainly have the right to believe they are going to be safe.”
According to The Columbus Dispatch, the comments were unprompted by reporters’ questions, but opened the floor up to discussion of a potential red-flag bill.
“I have asked my team to work on that—trying to get a red flag law that can pass. That’s my goal,” DeWine said.
The last time he spoke about the topic was in January before being officially sworn into office.
“Well, I’ve talked about this during the campaign. I’ve said that I could support a law if it was written correctly and if there was due process, correct due process built into this,” DeWine said in an interview. “Again, this is an area where I would hope we would be able to put people together, figure out what our common objectives are, respect the Second Amendment, respect due process, but at the same time make some progress in this area.”
DeWine, however, has also expressed support for constitutional carry in Ohio, which allows residents who are 21 and older to carry concealed weapons without a permit.
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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].
