(The Center Square) – Democrats unveiled a legislative package pushing for safe gun storage, firearm education and gun safety tax credits in the Ohio General Assembly.
The package was announced at a Tuesday news conferences that included several Democratic lawmakers from the Gun Violence Prevention Caucus.
“In 2024 Ohio saw 571 gun-related deaths and over 1,700 incidents of gun violence across our 99 House districts,” said Rep. Darnell Brewer, D-Cleveland. “In just the first half of 2025 before we even made it through June we have already lost 197 lives and witnessed over 480 incidents.”
The 197 total is less than the pace (47.5 per month) of 2024.
The package includes a bill granting tax credits for purchases of firearm safety devices like locked safes and handgun training that meet specific state requirements, a bill for safe firearm education programs and a bill to establish an Ohio “gun task force.”
Another bill announced by Brewer would give “comprehensive grants” only for cities and communities that declare gun violence a public health crisis.
Rep. Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati, said gun deaths in Ohio rose by 42% from 2013 to 2022 and gun homicides alone increased by 66%.
Domestic gun violence “is not just domestic violence. That’s preventable gun-enabled murder,” Thomas said.
While several Democratic legislators labeled the bills as “bipartisan” and called for Republican support, they also acknowledged several of the bills were similar to ones that failed in past sessions due to lack of support.
For instance, the Ohio Task Force on Gun Violence, introduced as House Bill 421 in the 2023-24 legislative session, never passed committee in that session according to an online bill tracker but was introduced again Tuesday by Brewer, who was its primary author the first time around.
However, Brewer said the bill had received largely “bipartisan support” the previous year despite it having been shot down.
“These policies do not take away rights. They protect lives,” Brewer said. “They are built on the principles of responsibility, education, access and care.”
Brewer added that “this is about accountability, this is about transparency, not about condemnation.”
Republican legislators did not immediately respond to a request for comment at the time of publication.
