Hamilton County Sheriff Calls on DeWine to Veto SB 214, Says Suppressed Shots Will Be Hard for ShotSpotter to Hear

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CINCINNATI, OH — Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey wants Gov. Mike DeWine to veto Senate Bill 214, the bill that would take suppressors, short-barreled rifles and sawed-off shotguns off Ohio’s dangerous ordnance list. “I’m absolutely opposed to this legislation,” she said at a news conference Friday. “It makes it easier for dangerous weapons to enter the hands of the wrong people.”

On Wednesday I covered how the Ohio House added the GOA-backed SBR and SBS amendment to SB 214 and the Senate agreed 21-9, sending the bill to DeWine. What’s new is a sitting sheriff publicly asking him to stop it. Her remarks and the reaction to them were reported by WVXU, WKRC and FOX19.

Two Democrats joined McGuffey: State Rep. Karen Brownlee and Cincinnati City Council member Anna Albi, according to WVXU. Albi said the deregulation is frustrating in a city struggling with gun crime. Brownlee said that once the bill becomes law, it would be hard to undo in a General Assembly still dominated by Republicans.

McGuffey’s lead argument was about suppressors and gunshot detection. ShotSpotter uses outdoor acoustic sensors to pick up gunfire and alert police to its location. “It’s going to be challenging for ShotSpotters to hear these muffled gunshots,” she said, according to FOX19. WVXU quoted her saying the system is “incredibly helpful for law enforcement to know when someone is firing a gun in an urban area, in a neighborhood, on a street.”

She also went after short-barreled shotguns. “When you have a short barrel, you fire that in a group of people, and that shot spread goes from here to here and beyond,” McGuffey said, according to WKRC. “So, it’s incredibly dangerous.” FOX19 reported that she questioned whether anyone needs one. “Why would you use it to hunt or do anything other than to destroy something? Obliterate it,” she said.

McGuffey said the changes would create “a pretty prolific black market,” per FOX19. According to WVXU, she argued that taking these items off the dangerous ordnance list would allow them to be sold at private gun shows, making it more likely that straw buyers would buy them for criminals. FOX19 reported she likely would not have opposed a suppressor-only bill if it included guidelines. “For centuries, people have hunted without a suppressor,” she said. WVXU reported that she called on DeWine to veto the provision and to put restrictions on who can buy the items instead.

The bill Sen. Kyle Koehler introduced was narrower than what reached DeWine. The as-introduced text amends three sections of the Ohio Revised Code “to remove firearm mufflers and suppressors from the classification of dangerous ordnance.” WVXU reported that a group of Republican lawmakers later added the short-barreled rifle and shotgun provision.

Under section 2923.11 of the Revised Code, a “sawed-off firearm” is any of the following:

• A shotgun with a barrel under 18 inches.
• A rifle with a barrel under 16 inches.
• A shotgun or rifle under 26 inches overall.

FOX19, citing the Legislative Service Commission’s analysis, reported that under the final bill Ohio law would no longer prohibit a person from acquiring, having, carrying or using suppressors or sawed-off firearms. WVXU reported the legislation started as a way to align Ohio with federal changes deregulating suppressors. As I wrote Wednesday, the exemption most Ohio SBR and SBS owners relied on was federal NFA registration, which ATF stopped enforcing in October.

Supporters have made their case to lawmakers. At a House Public Safety Committee hearing, Rob Knisley of Ohio Gun Owners said, “Any legislation that targets lawful gun owners as the problem for the violent crime uptick in Ohio is totally wrong,” according to WKRC. State Rep. Adam Mathews, a Warren County Republican and co-sponsor, called it “common sense legislation” that aligns Ohio law with the Second Amendment and the right to self-defense. Supporters also point to hearing protection for hunters and target shooters.

More from USA Carry:

• Ohio House Adds GOA-Backed SBR and SBS Amendment to SB 214, Senate Agrees 21-9 and Sends Bill to DeWine – USA Carry
• Florida Concealed Carrier Shoots a Criminal Off Deputy in Need
• Escambia Woman Retrieves Handgun from Purse, Shoots One of Two Robbery Suspects Posing as Cleaning Helpers
• Contra Costa Sheriff Banned Red Dots, Weapon Lights, and 1911s From Concealed Carry. SAF Settlement Forces the County to Drop All Three
• Alvin Bragg’s Prosecutor Coalition Calls the AR-15 an ‘Equalizer,’ Urges Supreme Court to Uphold Cook County and Connecticut Bans

McGuffey’s ShotSpotter objection asks Ohio to keep a restriction on lawful gun owners because a police sensor network may have a harder time hearing some shots. That puts the cost of a tool’s limits on people who have done nothing wrong. Her other concerns, a black market and straw buyers, describe criminals, which is the same point Knisley made to lawmakers.

DeWine has not spoken publicly about the bill and can sign or veto it, according to FOX19. If he signs it, WKRC reported, it would generally take effect 90 days later. I will continue tracking SB 214 while it sits on the governor’s desk.

Legislative data provided by LegiScan (CC BY 4.0, legiscan.com).

Read the original story: Hamilton County Sheriff Calls on DeWine to Veto SB 214, Says Suppressed Shots Will Be Hard for ShotSpotter to Hear