Reps. Grim, Thomas Call for General Assembly to Pass Bump Stock Ban

COLUMBUS – Assistant Minority Whip Michele Grim (D-Toledo) and State Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) denounce the U.S. Supreme Court decision to strike down a Trump era federal ban on bump stocks. 

“Without question, the addition of bump stocks increases the deadly capabilities of firearms, putting real Ohioans, and Americans at increased risk. The Supreme Court’s decision on Friday was not a win for anyone’s constitutional rights, but instead a major loss in the fight against deadly gun violence. Ohioans should have the opportunity to attend music festivals, community gatherings, and sporting events without the fear of mass shootings,” said Rep. Grim “Rep. Cecil Thomas and I will soon be introducing legislation to ban the use of bump stocks in Ohio, because we will not stand idly by – we will take action and stand with our communities, who have demanded common sense solutions like bump stock bans.”

“Our state and nation are currently besieged by an epidemic of gun violence,” said Rep. Thomas. “Our focus, then, should be on doing whatever we can to address the firearm-related injuries and death plaguing our communities. Given last week’s decision, the General Assembly should immediately take up a bump stock ban. It’s time to finally listen to Ohioans and do something.”

Bump stocks are attachments that allow semi-automatic firearms to fire at a rate similar to machine guns. They were used in the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history, when 60 were killed at a Las Vegas music festival in 2017. Because of the Supreme Court’s reversal, bump stocks are now available in states without their own bans.