COLUMBUS, Ohio— A proposed ballot issue to require background checks for most gun sales in Ohio cleared an initial hurdle Friday, as proposed summary language and an initial round of petition signatures were certified.
Attorney General Dave Yost said in a release Friday that he approved Ohioans For Gun Safety’s proposed summary language – a succinct explanation of the proposal provided to voters asked to sign a petition supporting the measure – is “a fair and truthful representation of the proposed law,” though (as is normal) he didn’t weigh in on whether he supports the idea. County elections officials also certified that the group collected more than the 1,000 valid petition signatures, according to Yost’s office.
The proposal, titled “An Act to Close Loopholes in Background Checks on Gun Sales,” would make Ohio the 12th state (as well as the District of Columbia) to require universal background checks for firearms sales. Federal law requires licensed dealers to conduct background checks before selling firearms.
If passed, first-time violators could face up to 30 days in jail and a $250 fine; repeat offenders would face harsher penalties.
However, the proposed rules would not apply in a number of cases, such as gifts of firearms between family members, sales of antique guns, and temporarily giving someone a gun to use for hunting or at a shooting range.
The measure now goes before the Ohio Ballot Board, which will decide Monday whether the proposal only contains one proposed constitutional amendment. If the Ballot Board gives its OK, supporters then must gather 132,887 signatures from registered voters in at least 44 of Ohio’s 88 counties. Proponents are aiming to put the item on the statewide ballot in 2020 or 2021.
If voters approved the citizen-initiated law, state lawmakers would then have four months to pass the measure, or supporters could collect another 132,887 signatures to place the proposal before Ohio voters during the next election.
Even if the measure gets enough support to be placed before state lawmakers, it’s unlikely to pass the Republican-dominated Ohio General Assembly – which in recent years has passed a number of bills to loosen state gun-control rules.
“We are optimistic as we move forward in this process to put background checks for gun safety before the state legislature and potentially on the ballot,” said Dennis Willard, a spokesperson for Ohioans for Gun Safety. “This is an issue that the majority of Ohioans support, and we have built a grassroots movement by having hundreds of conversations with individuals and organizations over the past two years.”
It’s the second time in a month that Ohioans For Gun Safety, a group made up of gun-control activists from around the state, sought Yost’s approval for the summary language. On June 20, Yost rejected the group’s initial summary because it inaccurately described some aspects of the proposal.