The president of the Ohio Senate doesn’t think lawmakers infringed on cities’ rights with legislation that supersedes local gun ordinances and gives citizens the right to challenge those local laws in court.
Last summer, the city of Columbus passed a law that, among other things, banned bump stocks and made it harder for people with domestic violence convictions to keep guns. Last year, state lawmakers overrode a veto by former Gov. John Kasich on legislation stopping cities from enforcing their own gun laws. Republican Senate President Larry Obhof (R, Medina) says the legislature is protecting the Second Amendment rights of Ohioans.
“While I think it’s unfortunate we have some municipalities around the state that don’t share the robust support that we have for the second amendment here in the legislature, the courts will have the opportunity to sort that out," Obhof says.
The lawsuit filed by Columbus says the new state law, which takes effect later this month, violates home rule and separation of power provisions in the Ohio constitution.
