Leaders of the U.S. Conference of Mayors come to Columbus on Tuesday to lobby the federal government to pass gun control measures.
The mayors, including Columbus Mayor Andrew Ginther and Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley, are expected to renew calls for Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to support measures meant to prevent gun violence, including expanded background checks on gun purchases.
“Already in 2019, there have been more than 250 mass shootings in the U.S., including Dayton, Ohio, just an hour away from Columbus,” reads a press release from the Mayor’s Association, which includes leaders of cities with more than 30,000 residents.
Last week, Ginther and Whaley joined other Ohio mayors in a Statehouse press conference where they urged state lawmakers to adopt proposals backed by Gov. Mike DeWine. They include expanded background checks, as well as a “red flag” gun seizure law and expanded funding for mental health care.
Bryan Barnett, president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors and mayor of Rochester Hills, Mich., will also join Ginther on a tour of the Smart Columbus Experience Center. The center on the banks of the Scioto River lets passersby check out electric vehicles and examine how transit will change if driverless cars become more popular. It came as part of the city’s grant-funded efforts to move beyond gas-fueled vehicles.
