Ohio GOP Pushing Measure To Allow Guns On College Campuses, In Day Care Centers

On the heels of an attack at Ohio State University that left 11 people hospitalized, Republicans and other gun advocates in the Buckeye State are moving forward with plans to allow guns on college campuses and in other public places.

A proposal put forward by Ohio Rep. Ron Maag, a Republican, would permit individuals to carry handguns on university campuses if the college approves it.

The legislation wouldn’t stop there, though. If approved, it would also allow firearms in day care centers, police stations, and airports.

What could possibly go wrong?

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The measure could be voted on within weeks, and since the GOP has firm control of both chambers of the state legislature – and a Republican, John Kasich, as governor – it’s likely that it won’t hit many roadblocks along the way.

Once again, Republicans are using a tragedy to push legislation that would help the gun lobby at the expense of everybody else. In chaotic situations, putting more weapons into the mix would make things worse.

“If the law changes and people are whipping out guns in the middle of that situation, I think it might have turned out very differently,” a member of Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America said, referring to the OSU incident.

As a 2014 Stanford study found, “Right-to-carry gun laws are linked to an increase in violent crime.” In eight states that implemented these laws, all of them saw increases in homicides, Stanford noted.

More guns, in other words, do not make the world – or a college campus – a safer place.

This is just the latest attempt by Republicans to exploit people’s fear after a tragedy and cater to the gun lobby, even though the evidence has repeatedly shown that more guns lead to more violence.

Sean Colarossi

Sean Colarossi currently resides in Cleveland, Ohio. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Journalism from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and was an organizing fellow for both of President Obama’s presidential campaigns. He also worked with Planned Parenthood as an Affordable Care Act Outreach Organizer in 2014, helping northeast Ohio residents obtain health insurance coverage.