Cincinnati Mayor and City Council Introduce Gun Violence Prevention Ordinance — Ohio Moms Demand Action, Students Demand Action Applaud Commitment to Gun Safety in State Where Lawmakers Continue to Strip Away Safety Measures 

Cincinnati Gun Violence Prevention Ordinance Introduced During National Gun Violence Survivors Week

The Ohio chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, released the following statement applauding the Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval and the Cincinnati City Council for introducing an ordinance addressing unauthorized access to firearms by requiring the safe and secure firearm storage in Cincinnati. This ordinance also addresses domestic abuse, prohibiting those with a misdemeanor domestic abuse conviction from owning or possessing a gun. 

“Mayors are on the frontlines of our nation’s gun violence epidemic and that’s why we won’t shy away from taking action to protect our communities,” said Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval, member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns. “While state lawmakers restrict the ability of cities like ours to do what it takes to keep residents safe, we will continue our fight to end gun violence with every tool that we have.”

“Families and communities in Cincinnati are all too familiar with the pain of gun violence,” said Anna Albi, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We thank Mayor Aftab for his commitment to reducing gun violence in our community, and the city council for taking this historic step.” 

Cincinnati Mayor Aftab Pureval is part of Mayors Against Illegal Guns, a national nonpartisan coalition of more than 1,000 current and former mayors committed to ending gun violence in communities across the U.S. 

While Ohio state lawmakers continue to prioritize politics over safety, stripping away the most basic, foundational gun laws, local municipalities have stepped in, standing up  to the gun lobby and taking action in the fight to end gun violence. Cincinnati’s ordinance announcement comes shortly after the Columbus City Council passed a gun safety ordinance to both address firearm trafficking and firearm secure storage in December.

This effort is in part due to current legal proceedings around the state’s preemption law that has opened the opportunity for local action on gun violence prevention, in a state that continues to pass reckless laws to weaken gun safety. 

Last year, Governor DeWine signed two bills into law that weakened the state’s gun laws, including one that eliminated Ohio’s permit requirement for carrying a hidden, loaded handgun in public and another that allowed teachers to bring firearms into schools with minimal training despite widespread public opposition. Volunteers with the Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action tirelessly advocated against all of these bills during the legislative session. 

In an average year, 1,602 people die and ​​3,753 people are wounded by guns in Ohio. Gun violence costs Ohio $22.3 billion each year, of which $493.7 million is paid by taxpayers. Learn more about gun violence in Ohio here. 

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