Advocate for Commonsense Gun Reform
Gun violence is the number one killer of American youth, yet wealthy nations with smart laws prove this statistic is not inevitable. Commonsense policies such as background checks, safe storage and red flag laws have support across party lines and among gun owners. What's missing isn't public agreement, it's enough voices in the room to outweigh the lobbying dollars stalling them. Get informed, connect with organizations already doing this work, and add your voice to the majority that's ready for change.
Why does it matter?
Firearms are the number one killer of our children and teens, and Americans carry the cumulative trauma from living in a society overloaded with guns.
As a society, we have the right to feel safe at our grocery stores, schools, concerts, festivals, etc. Common-sense gun laws can help end the unnecessary fear many Americans carry both consciously and subconsciously, while also ending our gun violence epidemic.
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Do other countries suffer from gun violence?
Gun homicides happen far more often in the US than in other wealthy countries. Per capita, the US firearm homicide rate is 19 times higher than France's, 77 times higher than Germany's, and 33 times higher than Australia's. Countries like Australia and Switzerland, both with strong gun-owning traditions, have shown that firearm deaths can drop significantly with the right policies in place. This suggests the US has real room to make progress too.
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How can you take action in Ohio?
1) Support local and state politicians fighting for commonsense gun laws.
2) Join or follow an organization that educates and creates action around safer communities and commonsense gun laws.
3) Help spread the safe gun storage message.
4) Ohio Council of Churches - Offers action steps and insight into how faith communities feel about gun violence.
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What are “commonsense policies” and why don’t they pass in Ohio and nationally?
Common-sense gun policies are ideas and laws that both honor Americans’ second amendment rights and provide greater protection against gun violence.
Background checks for all gun sales, including private and online sales, not just those made through licensed dealers
Safe storage laws requiring firearms to be stored locked and unloaded, especially in homes with children — federal data shows most unintentional child firearm deaths happen at homes with an unsecured gun
Extreme risk protection orders (sometimes called "red flag laws") allowing courts to temporarily restrict firearm access for someone shown to be a danger to themselves or others
Waiting periods between a gun purchase and when the buyer takes possession, giving a cooling-off window in moments of crisis
Most Americans — across party lines and including gun owners — support measures like background checks and safe storage laws. Yet these bills routinely stall in state legislatures and Congress. One reason they fail: The gun lobby.
Gun rights advocacy groups spent nearly $15 million on federal lobbying in 2024 alone, and more than $233 million since 1998. That kind of sustained spending shapes which bills get a hearing, regardless of where public opinion stands.
Ohio receives an “F” rating from Giffords for enactment of commonsense gun laws. Ohio allows permitless (constitutional) concealed carry without a background check for private sales and does not have a red-flag law. Our state lacks universal background checks, assault-weapon restrictions, and a large-capacity magazine ban. The state fails to require background checks on private sales and doesn't regulate assault weapons or large-capacity ammunition magazines. Ohio ranks 30th nationally in Everytown for Gun Safety's 2026 Gun Law Rankings, with a gun-law-strength composite score of 14.5 out of 100 and a gun death rate of 14.6 per 100,000 residents, which is above the national average of 12.8. Lawmakers have recently moved in the opposite direction of "commonsense" reform by passing legislation like a “Stand Your Ground” law to limiting firearm ownership fees.
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97Percent — an organization built by and for gun owners, named for the roughly 97% of Americans, across party lines, who support measures like background checks.
March for Our Lives - Parkland student-led organization
Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (local chapters)
Giffords - Founded by Gabby Giffords, a U.S. Representative who survived a mass shooting at one of her local events.