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Gun Rights: Handgun, Assault Rifle Law Defeated

By Minara El-Rahman on January 06, 2011 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

Gun rights advocates all over the country have a reason to shoot a few rounds in celebration.  Ohio's Supreme Court shot down Cleveland gun laws that banned assault weapons and mandated the registration of handguns. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports that while gun rights advocates claim that this decision protects a fundamental constitutional right, there are others who claim that the decision just prevents Cleveland from protecting its citizens from violence.

The Ohio Supreme Court decision upheld the 2006 law that prevents cities and other municipalities from enforcing ordinances that are stricter than state gun laws. It now seems that residents of Cleveland can walk in public places with rifles, handguns, and assault weapons. The safety rules on possession of guns near children have now been removed as well. 

"The inability to control guns in Cleveland, where large numbers of people live, work and gather in close proximity to one another, limits proactive strategies for protecting our community and puts all of us at greater risk," Marty Flask, Cleveland's public safety director, told the New York Times.

The City of Cleveland argued that its crime rates were significantly higher than the rest of the state and that the state gun control laws may be adequate for rural areas with less crime, but that more extensive gun control is needed in larger metropolitan areas.

Gun rights advocates cited their Second Amendment rights. Those in favor of gun rights welcomed the ruling. Gun rights advocates such as the National Rifle Association, Ohioans for Concealed Carry and the National Shooting Sports Foundation, as well as Attorney General Richard Cordray all supported the ruling.

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