COLUMBUS, Ohio — A month of gun violence is prompting new calls for firearm safety regulations. But with a GOP-controlled legislature, some advocates say they may need to take the laws into their own hands, through a constitutional amendment.
In Ohio, a toddler discharged a gun after finding it in a couch. A third grader brought a loaded firearm and threatened classmates, and mass shootings remain unsolved.
Over the past week — all across the state — shootings killed, wounded and terrified dozens.
Two weeks ago, roughly 70 shots were fired during a car meet in Cleveland. Seven people, aged 18 and 19 years old, were shot.
Last week in Columbus, an 18-year-old was killed and seven others were injured, local police said. At least one other person died from a shooting this week.
Cincinnati has seen three homicides in its Over-the-Rhine neighborhood just this month, including the shooting death of a 16-year-old Thursday night.
These are just several examples, not an exhaustive list. Gun violence typically also increases in the summer months, police say.
"It's completely unacceptable that nobody is doing anything about it," Columbus-area mother Michelle Heym said.
She is frustrated by the inaction to help protect Ohioans and her kids from tragedies.
Heym is originally from Connecticut but moved in 2015, two and a half years after being traumatized when her daughters were on lockdown during the Sandy Hook massacre.
Then, four years later, she dealt with the fear of the deadly 2019 mass shooting in Dayton. Since then, she has gotten more involved in advocacy against gun violence.
"I immediately wanted to get involved somehow to stop the gun violence in schools," Heym said.
And Democratic lawmakers agree with her. They have been proposing safety regulations for years, like red flag laws, universal background checks and requirements to lock up guns so kids can’t access them.
The bills rarely, if at all, get serious consideration in the Ohio House and Senate, both dominated by gun-rights Republican Supermajorities.
"How many funerals will it take before this legislature does its job?" state Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) said during a press conference on Democratic bills to address the violence.
Because the legislature hasn't acted on gun reform, some cities are attempting to create ordinances that better protect their populations. Both Columbus and Cincinnati have several gun safety regulations, but the state and Columbus are now in a legal battle. Watch more about the Ohio Supreme Court case below:
RELATED: Ohio Supreme Court to decide if Columbus can enforce gun safety regulations
While the Dems haven’t been successful with passing legislation through the General Assembly, they have won at the ballot box.
In 2023, voters overwhelmingly protected access to abortion, legalized marijuana and kept majority rule for voting.
"Is it time for a constitutional amendment on gun safety regulations?" I asked the Democrats during the press conference.
"I think what we have seen on a number of issues, when we have a legislature that is out of touch with where most Ohioans are — and we saw it with the reproductive freedom and I think we see it with this issue of addressing gun violence and common sense reforms — the people eventually do rise up," House Minority Leader Allison Russo responded.
She said that it "wouldn't be surprising" if reform were proposed in the next few years.
Back in 2023, Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb brought up an idea for a constitutional amendment after a mass shooting.
Heym, now the Ohio legislative lead for Moms Demand Action, said she wants this to happen. She offered ideas of expanded background checks and safe storage.
"There are people at Moms Demand Action that have, in the past, entertained constitutional amendments and even supported constitutional amendments in Ohio," she said.
But it would face uphill challenges, with GOP leaders saying this would go against the Second Amendment.
"Requiring someone to always store their firearm in a safe place, in storage, is going to be ruled unconstitutional," state Rep. Josh Williams (R-Sylvania) said.
Williams is a supporter of responsible gun ownership, and he does have locks for some of his guns. The issue is also personal to him, as he said his best friend's 2-year-old daughter accidentally shot and killed herself with her father's gun.
"I understand that these situations occur, but that doesn't mean that you can violate the constitutional rights of every other law-abiding citizen," he said.
He said one bad actor doesn’t reflect the majority, and the better way of fighting gun violence is through the backend, like raising criminal penalties.
"Getting the repeat offenders off of the street, getting the firearms out of the hands of felons," he said, mentioning his bill, H.B. 5, increases penalties for violent offenders in possession of a firearm while they are under disability for previous felony convictions.
It passed out of the House in a bipartisan fashion, with some Democrats joining the Republicans on a 71-24 vote.
Being reactive to violence isn’t enough, Heym said.
"Hopefully, the people will rise up," she said.
Other gun safety advocacy groups informed us that they would also support a constitutional amendment. The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio also stated that they would want to review the details and can't comment yet, but would consider or support any measures that make communities safer and allow police to do their jobs.
