DeMora Speaks Out Against Tragic Shooting Death, Calls for Action from State Legislature

Today, state Senator Bill DeMora (D-Columbus) issued a statement in response to the tragic death of a child from an accidental shooting after the child was able to get access to an unsecured firearm in their home.

“I am heartbroken by the entirely avoidable death of a small child in my community,” said DeMora. “This is completely unacceptable. This is the second child shot in less than a week in an accidental shooting in Columbus. At what point will this legislature realize that its complete inaction on any form of gun safety legislation is killing adults and young children across Ohio? Our caucus has introduced legislation that would address this right now, yet none of these bills have received a hearing. Inaction is unacceptable. We must pass meaningful, commonsense legislation to stop these tragedies from happening over and over again.”
 
Several pieces of legislation have already been introduced that would address safety concerns and protect Ohioans of all ages, including Senate Bill 96, which would incentivize gun owners to participate in gun safety classes and provide safe storage options for firearms, and Senate Bill 237, which would return the authority to regulate firearms back to local governments. 

“We cannot continue this status quo where the state legislature completely abandons its responsibility to protect the people we represent, while fighting in court against local municipalities who want to step up and protect their constituents from preventable gun violence,” DeMora continued. “I would be happy to work with any of my colleagues to get something accomplished, because right now we are absolutely failing the people of Ohio, and I am tired of releasing the same press release every time another one of my constituents dies a completely preventable death.”