The Columbus Metropolitan Club Wednesday held a forum on efforts to address gun violence and the issue of home rule authority in the state, with Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein and Buckeye Institute Director of Litigation David Tryon presenting contrasting views on those topics. Also on the panel were Thell Robinson, founder and CEO of the organization Halt Violence, and Amelia Robinson, opinion and community engagement editor at the Columbus Dispatch. Clare Roth, managing editor of statewide news collaborative Ohio Newsroom, hosted the discussion.

In introducing the topic, Ohio Mayors’ Alliance (OMA) Executive Director Keary McCarthy and Grandview Heights City Attorney Marie-Joelle Khouzam both gave an overview of the history of home rule powers and how they believe the Legislature has limited them in recent years.

Roth’s first question was to ask how home rule authority has changed since it was added to the Ohio Constitution in 1912. Klein said it was “robust” at first but has been “whittled” away over time. He also described how the General Assembly has reduced state laws regarding firearms in recent years and the legal battles which have resulted from Columbus city officials’ attempts to regulate firearms themselves.

Tryon responded that the forum’s title of “Whose Rights Win? Gun Violence, Preemption, and Home Rule in Ohio” asked the wrong question. “The people” should be the ones whose rights win, he continued, as cities and the state have authority rather than rights. Tryon also said the focus should be on the violence, not guns or magazine capacity. Regarding the city’s attempt to ban 30-round magazines, Tryon said Ohio has said there should not be a limit and statistics show the magazines are not linked to criminal behavior.

That led to back and forth discussion between Tryon and Klein, the latter who maintained the Legislature’s removing many firearm regulations created an opening for local governments to act. Tryon responded the Ohio Supreme Court had disagreed with Klein’s arguments twice in the past, adding that statewide uniformity is needed.

Following that exchange, Thell Robinson explained to Roth how Halt Violence works in conflict mediation by having street mentors discuss nonviolent alternatives. The most difficult part of the work is responding to murders, he continued. They do not work with the police to avoid being viewed as informants. Halt Violence also helps people with a criminal record secure employment and go through trauma counseling. He further told Roth that the people he works with would not be affected by changes in gun laws and so the only thing that can be done is to change minds.

Amelia Robinson detailed polling data regarding Ohioans’ views on gun legislation, saying people in all parts of the state want “sensible gun control” though only 39 percent favored cities’ making laws.

In response to a question from Roth on how home rule should work, Tryon said constitutional rights are the same no matter where Ohioans live. He also said education on firearms is key to resolving the issue of gun violence and he described how gun locks are given out by stores.

Klein followed by explaining his view that a “line in the sand” needs to be drawn on what society thinks is appropriate regarding gun possession. He also said he wouldn’t accept a “defeatist attitude” just because some people will continue to have firearms illegally, and detailed the state’s lawsuit against the city over its regulations. Klein added Columbus is seeking to pass “reasonable” laws which he wished the General Assembly would enact statewide, as they have broad public support.

Amelia Robinson detailed a recent forum the Columbus Dispatch held in collaboration with city officials, saying a 14-year-old girl expressed fear about going outside and being shot. She said a combination of solutions to gun violence are needed for the city to live up to its full potential, noting the recent incident where a 13-year-old allegedly shot and killed a 15-year-old at Easton Town Center.

Roth then asked whether there may be future action on gun regulations by constitutional amendment. Tryon said Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb and others may want that, but he did not think it would be effective. Klein in turn said if the city of Columbus wins its lawsuit, that may not be needed.

In response to audience questions, Tryon reiterated that he did not know of any research showing limits on firearm magazine capacity reduced homicides or other crime rates. Klein and Amelia Robinson both followed by discussing the Oregon District shooting in Dayton, with Robinson saying she was the first reporter on the scene as she lived there and the damage that could’ve been done if police had not been so close by was “unimaginable.” She also said police told her the shooter was not a good shot either.

Tryon followed that only a “miniscule” number of firearms in the U.S. are used to commit criminal acts and pistols are the weapon most often used by criminals. He added that one of the plaintiffs the Buckeye Institute is representing is a Black woman who was assaulted and bought an AR-15 for its ease of use in self-defense after the Columbus police “wouldn’t even take a report” about it.

Klein responded to another question by saying reasonable restrictions on firearms, in combination with other steps such as community investment and incarcerating violent offenders, can address the issue. He compared that to the national effort on drunk driving as an example of success. Tryon in turn reiterated the focus needs to be on the criminals involved, and that the solution to drunk driving was not banning alcohol. Klein followed by contrasting U.S. statistics on gun violence to “the rest of the civilized world.”

Thell Robinson responded to that by saying other parts of the world don’t have the “culture” he works in and said some people have firearms for their own protection. He additionally answered an audience question by describing how street mentors are survivors of violence themselves and said his East and West Columbus locations facilitate discussion among opposing groups without any weapons present. They also work to prevent shootings on the street, as he recently did, and go to murder scenes to learn what happened and prevent retaliation.