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Leader Russo Celebrates Gun Violence Prevention Summit, Commonsense Solutions to Keep Communities Safe

Event featured inspiring conversations, new legislative solutions to end gun violence public health crisis
February 15, 2024
Democratic Newsroom

COLUMBUS – House Minority Leader Allison Russo (D-Upper Arlington) today celebrates the success of the inaugural Gun Violence Prevention Summit (GVPS) hosted Thursday by the House Democratic Caucus at the Ohio Statehouse.

“Gun violence in our cities, our state and across the country is now a daily occurrence,” said Leader Russo. “There’s not a single day that goes by that we don’t lose individuals in our community to gun violence, and no place is immune from this issue – gun violence occurs in neighborhoods, schools, university campuses, nightclubs, concerts, churches, grocery stores, shopping centers, and even parades to celebrate the Super Bowl champions. We know that gun violence is now the leading cause of death for children and teenagers, but we all know there are commonsense solutions to promote safe gun ownership that a bipartisan majority of Ohioans support.”

As part of its People First agenda, House Democrats introduced several new legislative solutions around the GVPS promoting gun safety measures supported by a bipartisan majority of Ohioans. 

  • Keeping Our Survivors Safe Act (Reps. Grim, Munira)
  • Declaring Gun Violence a Public Health Crisis (Rep. Brewer)
  • Commonsense Concealed Carry (Reps. Brown, Isaacsohn)
  • Universal Background Checks Act (Reps. Robinson, Isaacsohn)
  • Ohio Task Force on Gun Violence (Rep. Brewer)

“This is not a Republican versus Democrat, urban versus rural, or gun-owner versus non-gun-owner issue,” said Leader Russo. “These are commonsense solutions that we know the vast majority of Ohioans support. The time is now to advocate for change and bring an end to this public health crisis plaguing our communities. But advocacy is not enough, we also need action, and that starts here at the Statehouse and within our local governments.”

The GVPS featured the following panels led by House Democrats, other elected officials, law enforcement officers and public safety and health stakeholders:

  • Keeping Guns out of the Hands of Dangerous Individuals
  • Promoting Responsible Gun Ownership
  • Defeating Pro-gun Crime, Anti-cop Laws

EDITOR’S NOTE: Pictures from Thursday’s GVPS courtesy of Ohio House Democrats can be found here, and a graphic listing the five new pieces of legislation House Democrats introduced this week is attached to this press release.  Additionally, the full GVPS video can be viewed and downloaded here.