Ohio Republican lawmakers are calling out Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb for encouraging voters to vote against Ohio State Issue 1 so that it’s easier for Democrats to place gun control measures into the state constitution.
Issue 1, if approved by voters, would mandate a 60 percent approval percentage for any future constitutional amendments, call for signatures from all 88 counties, and do away with the opportunity to “cure” petitions by collecting additional signatures if necessary.
This follows Bibb admitting that Democrats want Issue 1 to fail so that they can use their “political power” to amend the state constitution to include gun control measures.
“So we can use our real political power to change the culture of guns in this state, it starts by voting no on issue one by the way, to make sure that we can maybe put a ballot measure on our constitution to have common sense gun reform,” Bibb said.
According to State Representative Adam Bird (R-New Richmond), Bibb’s admission proves that the Democrats want to use the state Constitution for all of their liberal priorities including implementing gun control measures in Ohio.
“Oops. The mayor wasn’t supposed to admit that out loud. Liberals want to use our constitution for all their liberal priorities. And they will do plenty of fundraising with Out-Of-State elites to get their way. Vote YES on Issue 1! Protect our constitution,” Bird said.
State Representative Jennifer Gross (R-West Chester) echoed Bird saying “Just in case you believe they won’t come after your gun rights next. Vote Yes Ohio.”
Newly declared candidate for the U.S. Senate, Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose also spoke out against Bibb saying that his admission showcases the radical left’s next risky scheme to take away Ohioans gun rights.
“Remember when I said that Vote Yes Ohio was not only about abortion, despite their deceitful ads. The Mayor of Cleveland just said the quiet part out loud, they are desperate to defeat Issue 1 because the radical left’s next risky scheme is to use their “political power” to come after our gun rights,” LaRose said.
Republican lawmakers say that the state Constitution is a sacred document that special interest groups should not be able to amend so easily. By passing Issue 1, the people will ensure constitutional changes are widely accepted and declare that Ohio’s Constitution is not for sale.
They contend that Issue 1 will ensure that amendments have widespread support and tell special interests that the state Constitution is not up for grabs, by requiring signatures from voters in every county, special interests will no longer be able to cherry-pick where they gather signatures, and by restricting the do-overs on signature submissions special interests will have only once chance to play by the rules.
Five major Ohio businesses, the Associated Builders and Contractors of Ohio, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce, the Ohio National Federation of Independent Businesses, the Ohio Restaurant Association, and the Ohio Hotel and Lodging Association have endorsed Issue 1 saying that Ohio should safeguard the state constitution and that they agree with State Issue 1’s requirement that initiative petitions gather signatures from at least 5 percent of electors from all of the state’s 88 counties.
The Issue has also garnered support from numerous other members of the Ohio House of Representatives and Ohio Senate as well as Ohio Auditor Keith Faber.
The legislation comes at a time when pro-abortion activists are working to pass a proposed constitutional amendment in November that would legalize abortion throughout the state.
A second proposed amendment that would eventually raise the state’s minimum wage will likely appear on a 2024 ballot.
Voters will decide whether to approve State Issue 1 during a statewide special election on August 8th.
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Hannah Poling is a lead reporter at The Ohio Star, The Star News Network, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Hannah on Twitter @HannahPoling1. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Mayor Justin Bibb” by Mayor Justin Bibb.
