Columbus Ohio mayor wants to change gun laws ... [View All]

[spin]

Mayor Ready To Take On Gun Laws
September 28, 2010

COLUMBUS, Ohio --

Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman wants state legislators to give cities back the power to enact gun control laws that were taken away almost four years ago.

Coleman said he believes that giving cities back control of gun laws could cut down on weapons used in crimes, but not everyone thinks that move would make that much of a difference. Instead, some believe it impacts those following the laws more.

It was just a few weeks ago when Mayor Coleman asked the neighborhoods of Columbus to turn in criminals and their guns. It's an issue impacting just about everyone.

***snip***

"The mayor needs to go after criminals. What gun laws do is affect the law-abiding citizen. They don't impact the criminals," said Linda Walker with the Buckeye Firearms Association.

Coleman said he is targeting a so-called gun show loophole that he said would reduce criminals' access to guns. The Buckeye Firearms Association said it misses the mark.

"A criminal doesn't go to a gun show or retail shop to get the gun. They are going to steal it," Walker said.

But Mayor Coleman said data from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives shows weak gun laws lead to illegal trafficking and should lead to cities getting more say on the law.
http://www2.nbc4i.com/news/2010/sep/28/6/mayor-columbus-already-takes-gun-violence-now-read-ar-243705/

Coleman wants cities to be able to enact gun-control laws
Monday, September 27, 2010 11:12 PM

State legislators should give Columbus and other Ohio cities the power to enact gun-control laws that they took away almost four years ago, Mayor Michael B. Coleman said today.

***snip***

Columbus banned assault weapons, licensed gun dealers and prohibited people from carrying concealed weapons in city parks until a state law took effect in March 2007, wiping out all local gun rules. Supporters said the state should have sole power over such issues to eliminate a patchwork of local ordinances.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, called local gun laws "useless at best" because they were rarely enforced against people committing serious crimes.

"Where is his leadership to go after the real problems?" he said of Coleman. "What they're failing to focus on is the criminal."

***snip***

Although Coleman also called for new state laws, such as background checks on people who buy weapons from private gun-show dealers, spokesman Dan Williamson said the mayor isn't seeking to impose Columbus' old rules on the rest of Ohio.

"The mayor's not asking to pass laws for Licking County or Hocking County or Delaware County," Williamson said. "He wants to pass laws within our borders for the city of Columbus."
http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2010/09/27/coleman-wants-cities-to-be-able-to-enact-gun-control-laws.html?sid=101