DAYTON, Ohio (AP) — Facing pressure to take action after the latest mass shooting in the U.S., Ohio's Republican governor urged the GOP-led Legislature on Tuesday to pass laws requiring background checks for nearly all gun sales and allowing courts to restrict firearms access for people perceived as threats.
Gov. Mike DeWine said Ohio needs to do more while balancing people's rights to own firearms and have due process. On the heels of Sunday's killing of nine people by a gunman in Dayton's nightclub district, DeWine outlined a series of actions he wants the Legislature to take up to address mental health and gun violence.
"We can come together to do these things to save lives," DeWine said.
Protesters once again shouted "do something" — a refrain chanted during Sunday's vigil honoring the victims — at DeWine at the start of his Tuesday announcement. One person yelled "shame on you" at DeWine while he was answering questions.
His calls for action could be an uphill battle for the Legislature, which has given little consideration this session to those and other gun-safety measures already introduced by Democrats. DeWine's Republican predecessor, John Kasich (KAY'-sik), also unsuccessfully pushed for a so-called red flag law on restricting firearms for people considered threats.
DeWine said he has talked with legislative leaders and believes his proposals can pass.
Police say there was nothing in the Dayton shooter's background to prevent him from buying the firearm used.
The shooting outside a strip of nightclubs early Sunday and another mass shooting in El Paso, Texas , during the past weekend left a combined total of 31 people dead and more than 50 injured in less than 24 hours.
President Donald Trump said Monday he wanted Washington to "come together" on legislation providing "strong background checks" for gun users, but he gave no details. Previous gun control measures have languished in the Republican-controlled Senate.
The Democrat-led House has passed a gun control bill that includes fixes to the nation's firearm background check system, but it has languished in the Senate.
Dayton police have said 24-year-old Connor Betts was wearing a mask and body armor when he opened fire with an AR-15 style gun. If all of the magazines he had with him were full, which hasn't been confirmed, he would have had a maximum of 250 rounds, said Police Chief Richard Biehl.
"To have that level of weaponry in a civilian environment is problematic," Biehl added.
Betts had no apparent criminal record as an adult and police said there was nothing that would have prevented him from buying a gun. Ohio law bars anyone convicted of a felony as an adult, or convicted of a juvenile charge that would have been a felony if they were 18 or older, from buying firearms.
A woman who said she briefly dated Betts earlier this year discussed his "dark thoughts," including talking about wanting to hurt people, in an online essay . Adelia Johnson, 24, said they met in a college psychology class and bonded over dealing with mental illness, which she said allowed him to open up to her. She said she was in treatment but that Betts "didn't want to seek help because of the stigma." He told her he thought he had mental illnesses including bipolar disorder.