DAYTON, Ohio—The flags are flying half-staff at Bellbrook High School to honor the victims of this weekend’s shooting in Dayton.
- Leaders from the top are calling for “red flag” laws
- In May, DeWine said he would be pursuing a gun law that would allow the temporary seizure of firearms from individuals believed to be a threat
- Supporters face a challenge in Ohio’s majority-conservative legislature
The gunman in this tragedy was a former student at Bellbrook, and students say there were early warning signs.
High school classmates of the Dayton shooter say the writing was on the wall.
“Apparently, he had made a kill list, and I happen to be on it,” said Spencer Brickler, former classmate.
Brickler says when the school caught wind of the list, they took swift action
“I look up, and there’s two police officers standing on the bus, asking him to get up and go with them,” said Brickler.
Buckeye Firearm Association Executive Director Dean Rieck says these early indicators of violence slipped through the cracks.
“He was expelled from school over this,” said Rieck. “This was something known to authorities... the police actually got involved in this, but all this information was expunged from his record, so that when this background check eventually happened, when he was purchasing these firearms, that information was not there in the database.”
Now, leaders from the top are calling for reform.
President Trump on Monday pledged his support for "red flag" laws.
“We must make sure that those judged to pose a grave risk to public safety do not have access to firearms, and if they do, those firearms can be taken through rapid due process. That is why I have called for red flag laws, also known as extreme risk protection orders,” said Trump.
Governor Mike DeWine had similar ideas.
Back in May, he announced he would be pursuing a gun law that would allow the temporary seizure of firearms from individuals believed to be a threat.
Former Governor Kasich made a similar pledge in 2018 following the Las Vegas shooting that killed 58.
But supporters of these laws face a steep uphill battle in a majority-conservative legislature.
Even Ohio Lieutenant Governor Jon Husted (R) was reluctant to call the red flag law by name.
“As a public official, I’m ready to work with the other public officials to take meaningful steps to minimize the chance that this might happen again,” said Husted.
But for Rieck, these laws are a moot point.
“What’s the point of passing more laws if we’re not able to actually enforce the laws that are already on the books?” said Rieck.
Fewer and fewer of those laws remain on the books.
Back in 2010, the Ohio Supreme Court upheld a state law that wiped out 80 local gun laws, including assault weapons bans in Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Toledo, and Dayton.
Whether or not the renewed call for action will be answered is now up to the legislature.