Dear governor, Ohio must end gun violence
Mayors pen letter to DeWine; Youngstown’s Jamael Tito Brown on organization’s board of directors
A coalition of Ohio mayors on Tuesday sent a letter to Gov. Mike DeWine suggesting ways the administration might partner with cities to reduce gun crimes and better protect children and youth from accessing firearms.
The Ohio Mayors Alliance, a bipartisan coalition of mayors, sent the letter because of concerns about the number of shootings that have occurred in recent years, which include shootings involving young people and minors. They are concerned about the possibility of increased gun violence during the summer months.
The letter is signed by bipartisan members of the OMA Board of Directors, bipartisan co-chairs of the group’s Mayors & Police Chiefs Leadership Committee, and member mayors whose cities have been affected by recent gun violence.
Youngstown Mayor Jamael Tito Brown is on the OMA’s board of directors. Youngstown has recorded 14 homicides so far this year.
“We’ve been talking about this subject for some time,” said Keary McCarthy, executive director of the Ohio Mayors Alliance.
“There has been some frustration about the ease people have to access firearms,” he continued.
“Our cities are doing everything they can to prevent and reduce crime, and, as a result, violent crime is down significantly in Ohio’s cities,” McCarthy noted. “However, a recent spasm of gun violence in some cities this summer has served as a grim reminder of how urgently we need to continue to work to address this issue.”
McCarthy has been the alliance’s executive director since 2016.
The letter noted concerns that over the last two years, cities have made significant investments in public safety and their local law enforcement professionals have made great strides to reduce violent crime
“In most cities across Ohio, firearm-related homicides have decreased this year,” the letter noted. “However, as the summer months have begun, we have seen a troubling spasm of gun violence in our communities, which has resulted in multiple homicides, at least three separate mass shootings, and numerous victims under the age of 18.”
“We know that firearms alone are not to blame,” the letter continued. “The individuals that perpetrate these crimes and engage in these deadly acts of gun violence must be held accountable and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.”
However, the availability of firearms and the ease with which they are acquired are contributing factors to gun violence.
Gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and youth in Ohio and across the country, according to data from the Centers for Disease Control.
Five solution-oriented recommendations were provided to the administration in the letter, including:
• Establish a state-level research unit dedicated to supporting cities and law enforcement agencies with analysis, research and data sharing focused on the prevention of firearm-related deaths in Ohio.
• Double down on state grants to cities and local law enforcement agencies for technology support and data-driven strategies to reduce violent crime.
• Reduce the number of stolen firearms being used in violent crimes by promoting awareness and enforcement of a state law that requires gun owners to report a lost or stolen firearm.
• Incentivize law enforcement agencies to input recovered gun information into the federal eTrace system and to share that tracing data across all jurisdictions.
• Re-engage legislative leaders on needed state law changes that will reduce gun violence and improve public safety in Ohio.
Have an interesting story? Contact the newsroom by email at news@vindy.com. Follow us on X, formerly Twitter, @TribToday