“Look, we always can do more,” Ohio officials explain their efforts to combat gun violence

In the recent mass shooting in Buffalo and the Oregon District shooting almost three years ago, investigators said the shooter used an assault-style rifle with a magazine that had an expanded capacity.

In both cases, investigators have detailed violent red flags in the suspects’ past.

News Center Seven’s John Bedell checked on the status of a gun reform plan the Governor unveiled in the weeks after the attack here in the Oregon District.

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At a vigil for the Oregon District mass shooting victims, the crowd chanted “do something,” at Gov. Mike DeWine.

That inspired the Governor to craft a legislative plan to respond to the tragedy in hopes of preventing another mass shooting.

But not enough state lawmakers were interested in DeWine’s gun reform plan.

“In Ohio, we are funding the police. In Ohio, we are doing everything we can to get guns off the streets and away from repeat, violent offenders,” DeWine said.

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On Monday, DeWine spoke with us about gun violence stats from the Ohio Department of Health (ODH

They show more Ohioans died from gun violence in 2020 than in any other year on record.

Preliminary data from the ODH shows at least 1,762 Ohioans died from guns last year; that’s just two shy of 2020′s records.

DeWine touts state gun violence task forces that take guns away from criminals and increased funding for police training and recruitment as ways his administration is working to reduce gun violence in our state.

We told the Governor that stats from the last two years show the number of people killed by gun violence in Ohio is at or near record highs.

We asked, “is enough being done?”

DeWine said, “look we always can do more.”

When we asked that same question to local State Representee Willis Blackshear, Junior said, “I don’t think enough is being done at all. I think it’s the complete opposite.

Blackshear continued, “I don’t think we have adequately addressed some of those issues to make our communities safer.”

When we brought the question up to the former Montgomery County Sheriff and current State Reprehensive Phil Plummer.

“You know, not enough’s being done yet. But we have a bill we’re working on right now where it actually holds criminals more accountable. If you’re a felon, a convicted felon, you shouldn’t have a gun, you’re not allowed to have a gun,” Plummer said.

“So we can increase penalties for weapons under disability.”

Plummer continued, “so we have to draw the line in the sand and say we want the good people to have their guns to protect themselves and their families, but we got to take the guns away from the bad people and if they don’t want to comply, they go to prison.”