Ohio’s New Legislation Targets Repeat Felons Who Carry Firearms

A new law has been proposed in the Ohio House that would increase the amount of time repeat offenders spend in prison if they use a gun while committing another crime.

The Repeat Offender Act increases the punishments for people who have a history of violence and are caught with a gun, even though they have been convicted of a serious crime before. It also includes a special improvement for people who repeatedly break the rules about owning weapons.

“I strongly support the second amendment and I am dedicated to fighting for the rights of Ohio residents to own guns as long as it is within the limits of the law,” stated Rep. Bernie Willis, a representative from Springfield. Unfortunately, there are people who break the law and commit acts of gun violence even though they are not allowed to have guns. I believe it is very important that we stop their actions, so I have suggested this law to make their time in prison longer.

Having a weapon that is still illegal can be considered a serious crime.

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The proposed legislation, which is still waiting to be assigned to a committee, aims to make the punishment less severe for non-violent offenders who commit their first offense. According to the new law, people who commit this crime would be charged with a fourth-degree felony. However, if someone has been convicted of a crime related to having a weapon illegally and has a history of violent crimes, they could face an additional five-year penalty for using a weapon, on top of the potential 12-year sentence for the original second-degree felony charge.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said he supports the change.

“I have always strongly supported the Second Amendment and believe that it is important for people to own guns responsibly.” “It is important to distinguish between gun owners who follow the law and people who use guns for illegal activities,” said Yost. He made it clear that the main problem lies with people who use guns to commit crimes. The proposed bill aims to focus on these individuals instead of punishing responsible gun owners.

“This initiative aims to make our cities safer by removing armed criminals from our streets, while still respecting the rights of law-abiding citizens.”