State Senator Matt Dolan Introduces Legislation to Expand Mental Health Services & Reduce Gun Violence in Ohio

COLUMBUS—State Senator Matt Dolan (R-Chagrin Falls) today announced that he is introducing Senate Bill 357, legislation that will enhance public safety and reduce the threat of gun violence in Ohio.

“We must change the conversation on public safety in Ohio. Citizens are dying here and across our country, and far too many families are enduring unimaginable pain. Modernizing the tools we have to defeat gun violence and prevent these deaths doesn't have to be an all or nothing conversation. Senate Bill 357 protects the Second Amendment rights of law-abiding citizens while also providing the opportunity for those suffering from mental illness to get the help and treatment they need before tragedy occurs.”

“This bill develops a process with abundant procedural safeguards for law enforcement to retrieve firearms from those legally prohibited from possessing them. It requires rigorous due process, addresses safety protection orders, enhances the effectiveness of background checks, and repurposes existing funding resources to bolster our behavioral health workforce and crisis centers throughout Ohio.”

“Protecting human life and safeguarding Ohioans’ constitutional rights are not mutually exclusive endeavors. I look forward to earning the support of my colleagues and passing this commonsense legislation into law,” Dolan said.
Background on Senate Bill 357:

1. Due Process Safety Protection Order
   SB 357 will protect the public by helping those believed to be a danger to themselves or others due to a severe mental health condition and will develop a process to retrieve firearms from those legally prohibited from possessing them. In cases where there is evidence that guns are accessible to an individual deemed by a judge to be a danger to themselves or others because of a severe mental health condition, this bill will allow the probate judge to issue a safety protection order directing local law enforcement to retrieve and temporarily hold the firearms. The retrieval process will protect constitutional rights and will be conducted with a focus on law enforcement safety.
   
2. Co-signer requirement for 18–21-year-old to purchase firearms
   SB 357 does not ban any purchase of firearms for those 18 up to 21 years of age. However, other than the purchase of a rifle or shotgun that holds only a single round of ammunition, a co-signer 25 years of age or older must accompany the 18-21-year-old buyer of a restricted-access firearm and sign an affidavit of limited responsibility with the purchase. The co-signer can be held civilly liable if that purchased firearm is used or brandished during the commission of a felony offense while the buyer is under the age of 21.
   
3. Seller’s Protection Certificate
   SB 357 creates a seller’s protection certificate for private gun sales. Sales do not include the transfer of the firearm to a family member. This permits a seller to require the purchaser to receive written clearance from a county sheriff confirming no legal disability is present.
   
4. Improving state and federal background check databases
   SB 357 will enhance background check databases by requiring that critical information be added into state and federal law enforcement databases by the close of the next business day to better ensure the accuracy, timeliness, and effectiveness of background check results.
   
5. Mental health appropriation
   SB 357 contains American Rescue Plan appropriations to increase the number of mental health workers and accelerate the expansion of regional mental health crisis centers