Rep. Blackshear Delivers Sponsor Testimony on Legislation to Ban Mass Casualty Weapons

COLUMBUS - State Rep. Willis E. Blackshear Jr. (D-Dayton) today gave testimony in front of the House Government Oversight Committee on House Bill (HB) 433, legislation that would ban mass casualty firearms. The bill would make a targeted change to reimplement Ohio’s pre-2015 prohibition on firearms capable of shooting more than 31 rounds without reloading.

“Today, I presented sponsor testimony on HB 433 which would prohibit mass casualty weapons. This is a simple change that will save lives and help prevent tragedies like the one that took place in my community,” said Rep. Blackshear. 

“To be clear, this bill will not ban all or nearly all semi-automatic weapons. Only once a gun has been modified to include a magazine that holds more than 30 rounds does it become illegal under this bill. My goal is simply to go back to the commonsense regulation Ohio had in place before 2015.”

The bill was created in response to the 2019 shooting that occurred in the Oregon District which left nine people dead and dozens more injured. Despite a fast police response to the scene of the shooting, the shooter was still able to fire off 41 shots in only 32 seconds. The gun used by the shooter had a 100 round “double drum” magazine which allowed the shooter to fire all 41 shots without reloading.

Rep. Blackshear’s testimony highlighted the common-sense nature of the legislation and dispelled the notion that this bill would ban “all semi-automatic guns.”

The bill now awaits a second hearing in the House Government Oversight Committee.