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Gun Safety Group Starts Collecting Signatures For Petition

By Andy Chow

Published July 22, 2019 at 9:48 PM EDT

Ohio Ballot Board meets to discuss petition language that expands background checks for gun sales. [Andy Chow] — Ohio Ballot Board meets to discuss petition language that expands background checks for gun sales.

State officials have approved the petition language that calls on expanded background checks for gun purchases and transfers. This allows the group, Ohioans For Gun Safety, to collect signatures for the initiated statute.

Secretary of State Frank LaRose leads the Ohio Ballot Board which approved the issue as following the single-subject rule. Because this is an initiated statute, once the signatures are collected, the language will be sent to Ohio lawmakers first.

“The Legislature can then take that opportunity if they wish to otherwise then the petitioners can continue gathering signatures to put it on the ballot for Ohioans to decide,” says LaRose.

Ohioans for Gun Safety say they’ll take the issue to the ballot as early as 2020 if lawmakers don’t pass strong gun safety measures.

The petition language does include exemptions for gun transfers such as when a firearm is passed down from one family member to another.