Gun Control: Cleveland Law Would Strictly Limit Gun Buys And Create Registry

Cleveland gun control laws will be perhaps the most strict in the United States if the city council approves Mayor Frank Jackson’s ordinance proposal. Cleveland recently celebrated the return of Lebron James and scored the Republican National Convention, a big economic boom to the northern Ohio town. But now the city is incurring backlash from gun owners and Second Amendment groups.

The gun control ordinance would make it illegal for an individual to buy more than one gun every three months, if passed as written. The Cleveland ordinance, which some feel is a complete infringement upon the Second Amendment, would also prohibit having guns in an area accessible by children. It would also create a gun registry.

The gun law would also bring back into play prior firearms ordinances. One such mandate would require school officials to notify law enforcement if a weapon is found on campus. Exactly what constitutes a weapon remains unclear. School districts around the country have cited their “no weapons” policy when suspending or filing charges against students with squirt guns, gun-shapes made out of paper, and even airsoft guns used near bus stops.

Cleveland gun control laws would also ban the manufacturing of gun replicas. The proposed firearms ordinances sparked a massive protest over the weekend, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Those assembled who supported the strict gun control law “danced to the beat of a tambourine” and carried anti-gun signs, the local newspaper reports. Second Amendment supporters exercised their right to open carry rifles and often wore NRA clothing and buttons.

Ariel Clayton, a twenty-something anti-gun protester said, “The mayor should have a right to tailor laws to the city of Cleveland to restrict gun access to minors.” Clayton apparently did not take into consideration that a child in a city neighborhood might go hunting with an adult in the outlying area and already be trained in hunting and gun safety.

Ohioans for Concealed Carry President Jeff Garvas had this to say in a letter to Cleveland Laws Director Barbara Langhenry:

“The United States Constitution, Ohio Constitution, state laws or federal laws are the only means by which regulation may be imposed on firearms in the state of Ohio.”

The concealed carry group is already planning to file a lawsuit based upon the constitutionality of the Cleveland gun control law if the city council passes the ordinance. In 2010, the Ohio Supreme Court ruled that the state legislature can pass a statewide law which blocks much of what Cleveland, and other cities, want to do with local gun control ordinances. At the time, multiple Ohio cities wanted to ban so-called assault weapons and require the registration of all handguns.

What do you think about the Cleveland gun control law? Do you think the ordinance could, or should, impact the Republican National Committee convention location plans?

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