Yep. More guns.

Last Tuesday, the Ohio Senate fast-tracked legislation that reduces the training teachers need to carry guns in school from 700+ hours … to 24.

On Wednesday, the Republican-dominated Ohio House passed it.

DeWine says he’s eager to sign it.

But the problem is Ohioans don’t want it.

During four hours of testimony on the bill, only two people testified in favor of it: a gun lobbyist, and the CEO of a company (which is owned by the Senate committee’s chairman) that consults on active shooter response plans. The rest of the time was taken up by teachers, activists – even a speaker representing the Fraternal Order of Police – telling the legislature that it was a bad idea.

Of course, they didn’t listen.

And this terrible legislation loosening gun laws is now their official response to the tragedy in Uvalde and the dozens of mass shootings that have happened since.

It’s nothing new.

In 2019, standing before an angry, frustrated, mourning crowd in Dayton, DeWine promised to “do something.”

So … what has he done since?

He and his fellow Republicans have loosened gun laws and made us less safe.

They expanded the right to shoot to kill with a “stand your ground” law that Ohioans didn’t want and which studies show lead to an 8% increase in gun deaths.

They removed training, background checks, and permitting requirements to carry a concealed weapon, even though Ohioans overwhelmingly support background checks and training. States with looser concealed-carry regulations are associated with an 11% increase in handgun homicide rates ( source ( [link removed] ) ).

That law goes into effect in a few weeks.

But they already know that softening gun laws doesn’t work to slow gun violence. Or, at least, they should know.

Here are the facts: from 2011 and 2021, Republicans have controlled Ohio. We have had a Republican Governor and Republican majorities in both the Ohio House and Senate for the last ten years.

And during that decade, the rate of gun deaths in Ohio has increased by a whopping 47%. ( source ( [link removed] ) )

The data doesn’t lie. Their policies are not working.

And it appears that their “strategy” for addressing gun violence is trotting out gun lobbyists to try to convince you that loosening gun laws makes you more safe. That’s not a serious solution. It’s a marketing scheme.

So, what can we do?

More to the point: what can you do?

First, recognize and spread the word that Republicans are on their own here. These guns-everywhere bills passed with only Republican votes.

Every single Democrat voted against them.

So know that while Republicans are cozying up to the gun lobby, Democrats are fighting tooth and nail for you and your family.

Second, if you believe loosening gun laws, removing background checks and eliminating training requirements is the wrong way to address gun violence, it’s time to help turf these Republicans out of office.

They have proven for over a decade that they are either not willing to or not capable of addressing gun violence.

That’s why we hope you’ll be part of Blue Ohio ( [link removed] ) , because you can help end this tragic cycle.

Blue Ohio is a community of people like you who want to make sure Democrats running for state legislature have the resources to fight in every corner of the state. By working together and chipping in a little each month, our community makes it easy to crowdfund for the nominees – and 100% of the funds donated to the nominees go to the nominees.

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Remember, polls show that the vast majority of Ohioans support common sense gun reforms, and oppose gun extremism. The problem is, too many of those who vote FOR the extremism aren't held accountable, because they never face well-funded opponents.

Blue Ohio is working to change that. No more free passes for these extremists!

Plus, if you join at $10/month or more, you’re automatically invited to our virtual “brown bag” lunches where our community gets together with special guests to talk about what’s going on in the statehouse and what we can do to help. The next one is Friday, Jun 17 and we'd love to see you there!

If we’re going to hold Republicans accountable for their failures – and replace them – we’re going to need to work together. So join us in creating the community that will finally turn the tide in Ohio. If you’ve not yet become a member, join us today.

And if you are a member, thank you for being part of the solution!

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