2A at City Council

 

A recent Facebook post has declared that a Resolution would be introduced tonight to protect our 2^nd Amendment rights and I would just like to address that. First, I am a little concerned that at the new City Council’s first full meeting that something like this would be presented. Many of you had campaigned on high utility rates, derelict buildings and the lack of good paying jobs. You have a multi-million-dollar sewer separation project going on, a swimming pool that has been out of service for nearly two years, ODNR and the State Attorney General on your back about the Pines Reservoir. In a year you will need to decide if the City will continue with the CJAD, go on their own or create something new.

Has anyone got input from the schools, law enforcement, health department, mental health agencies, the voters that put you in those chairs? Do you have any statistics that prove this would make anyone safer? How will it affect sporting events, music programs, pancake breakfasts? Some of you may not realize that the reason City Council now has a police officer at the meetings and a metal detector precipitated from a credible threat a couple of years ago. Will this Resolution allow guns at City Hall and the County Courthouse?

Just today the Telegraph-Fourm is reporting that suicides in Crawford County have doubled from last year, we have created a suicide prevention coalition as a tool to fight this epidemic, now would this Resolution create a tool to assist these troubled individuals to carry out their plan?

Do you realize that last year the Ohio Department of Health reported suicide deaths increased by 45% among all Ohioans and by 56% among young people 10-24, from 2007 to 2018? Over the past dozen years, 18,391 Ohioans have died by suicide. That’s over 150% of the population of Bucyrus. Over ½ of all suicides nationwide involve a gun and in Ohio over 13,000 people, the population of our town, have been killed in the past decade – either by homicide, suicide or accident – using a firearm. (Jessie Balmert, Cincinnati Enquirer Aug. 9, 2019)

Pew research poll of US adults from September 3-15, 2019 shows 88% feel current gun laws are strict enough or could be stricter.

In another poll from September last year 89% of Americans supported gun legislation that increased mental health funding; 83% supported required background checks; 72% favored creating a national “Red Flag” law and the same supported a license before a gun purchase. (Marist, PBS and NPR)

These are the same things the Virginia legislature have proposed that resulted in the gun rally this past weekend. They are also proposing prohibiting an unlicensed gun dealer from purchasing more that one handgun in a 30-day period and authorizing any locality to prohibit the possession of firearms and ammunition in public spaces during permitted event, say the Bratwurst Festival or Fair or First Friday’s. Have you read the legislation? Nowhere was it proposed that someone would have the right to take a gun. They seem like sensible actions to prevent senseless deaths or injuries. Don’t get me wrong I support responsible gun ownership and the 2^nd Amendment but you know what sometimes it takes laws, metal detectors and police offices to make us safe.  And just because it sounds good and it’s on TV or the internet, or it’s the American thing to do, doesn’t mean it’s good for our community. There are absolutely no reliable studies that prove more guns make us safer. Please do some research, ask some questions, be a responsible elected official.