Council Hearing Reviews Common Sense Gun Safety Proposal
November 22, 2022
COLUMBUS, OH --- Columbus City Council, City Attorney Zach Klein and Mayor Andrew Ginther are putting forward a legislative package of common sense gun safety laws to strategically address the proliferation of guns in neighborhoods used in violent crimes.
“This past Saturday there was a mass shooting committed with an AR-style weapon at an LGBTQ club in Colorado. This is yet another example of how dangerous weapons end up in the wrong hands,” said Council President Shannon Hardin. “Basic gun safety efforts are a necessary component of a larger strategy to keep our community safe.”
Tonight's public hearing is designed to give residents and stakeholders the chance to hear and comment on details of ordinances being considered by Council. While research continues on a renewal of the City’s Assault Weapons Ban, proposals are advancing on three other key issues.
Prohibited Possession of Large Capacity Magazines: This legislation will prohibit the possession of a large capacity magazine by anyone other than a federal or state agent or armed services member or a member of state or local law enforcement. We define “large capacity magazine” as any magazine, belt, drum, feed strip, clip or other similar device that has the capacity of, or can be readily restored or converted to accept, thirty (30) or more rounds of ammunition for use in a firearm. This definition does not include any of the following:
- A feeding device that has been permanently altered so that it cannot accommodate more than thirty rounds of ammunition;
- A .22 caliber tube ammunition feeding device;
- A tubular magazine that is contained in a lever action firearm;
- A magazine that is permanently inoperable.
“This is about protecting our community from gun violence” said Councilmember Shayla Favor. “There is no reason for ordinary citizens to possess military-grade weapons and while we know that this is not an overnight fix to an often evasive problem, it is a step in the right direction to creating a safer Columbus.”
Safe Storage of Firearms: This legislation will penalize those who fail to exercise due care in storing their firearms when they know or reasonably should know that a minor is able to gain access to them.
"Gun violence is an epidemic unlike any other, and we are doing everything within our power to enact common-sense gun safety legislation to protect children and families from the horrors of this scourge," said Mayor Andrew J. Ginther. "This is not a partisan issue. It is a community issue, and we will solve it, together, as a community."
Criminalizing the Sale of Firearms to Those Prohibited From Owning One: This prohibits the reckless selling, lending, giving, or furnishing of a firearm to a person who is prohibited from possessing a firearm. It also criminalizes an individual who purchases or attempts to purchase a firearm and intends to sell it to a person prohibited from possessing a firearm.
"Violent crime will not be tolerated in the city of Columbus,” said Councilmember Emmanuel V. Remy. “We need policies that keep our all of our residents and first responders safe. This common sense gun reform legislative package is one of many steps we need to take. Now we need our State Legislature to partner with us to allow Columbus to continue the work of keeping our streets safe."
“Columbus residents and families are seeing the consequences of the unchecked flow of firearms into our streets and are demanding that we take real, meaningful action to reduce gun violence,” said Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein. “Coming forward with legislative solutions that make sense for us here in Columbus is the right first step to ensuring better, safer neighborhoods for all of us.”
The legislative package is proposed as emergency second reading for a vote of Council on Dec. 5 or 12.