Ohio Senate bill would affect all gun, ammunition sales

CINCINNATI - A new bill introduced in the Ohio Senate Tuesday would affect every gun and ammunition sale in the state.

Bill SB 18 would ban the possession of assault weapons, limit the size of a magazine to nine bullets or fewer, and create a database to track all gun and ammunition sales in Ohio. Violations of the bill would be felonies.

“While we cannot stop every act of suffering inflicted upon the public by depraved individuals, I believe that it is our responsibility to limit access to unreasonably dangerous weapons and to hold each person accountable for their firearm purchases,” Sen. Smith said on her website .

Sen. Smith says she authored the bill “because of the recent horrific episodes of mass murder in the United States. Even in Ohio, three youth were killed at their high school. In just four different situations, 48 innocent lives were taken by gunmen last year. These 48 reasons teach us why it is important to ban weapons that increase the efficiency of killing humans.”

Kyle Hufford of Finneytown says he doesn’t think the bill has a chance of making it to Gov. John Kasich’s desk.

"I don't think they're going to get anything through with a Republican-controlled House and Senate," he told 9 On Your Side reporter Amy Wadas.

Hufford has a personal investment in the bill. In addition to owning guns, he also owns Kyle’s Gun Shop in Finneytown. With the exception of a few revolvers, pretty much everything sold in his store would be banned in the new bill were to pass.

"It says anything that's semi-automatic and accepts a detachable magazine more than 10 rounds would be outlawed."

The bill would also require all sales of ammunition to be reported to the state, and then tracked through a database.

"I don't see how they could do it. Number one, it's going to cost the state a lot of money to put all that in place and hire the agents that would need to do the enforcement.”

Hufford says if the bill were to pass it would effectively put him out of business.

Despite the potential loss of income for Hufford and other people across the state, Sen. Smith feels as though the issue has to be addressed.

“I hope that extensive discussion with these interested parties will lead to reasonable compromise on a bill that can pass with bipartisan support,” said Senator Smith.  “The Second Amendment has deep roots in American history, but we also must recognize that our rights and freedoms come with real responsibilities.”

This bill currently operates as a placeholder because Sen. Smith is still meeting with groups on all sides of this issue. She will introduce a substitute bill after all stakeholders have been consulted.  

No hearings on the bill have been scheduled.

9 On Your Side reporter Amy Wadas contributed to this report.