Title
To express support for reducing gun violence through enacting universal background checks for all gun purchases and other common sense measures that can be taken by the Congress of the United States of America.
Body
WHEREAS, gun violence is a scourge on our society that tragically impacts families in Ohio and throughout the United States every day; and
WHEREAS, Americans are ten times more likely to die from gun violence than citizens in other developed countries, with over 30,000 Americans being killed from gun violence each year, including one Ohioan dying from gun violence every eight hours; and
WHEREAS, the City of Columbus has worked diligently to reduce its rate of violent crime, which has decreased over the past five years; and
WHEREAS, statewide law in Ohio upheld by the Ohio Supreme Court prevents the City of Columbus from passing common sense gun control measures to reduce gun violence. Furthermore, without a uniform system of gun control measures throughout the United States, the effectiveness of actions taken by individual municipalities and states is reduced; and
WHEREAS, there is overwhelming public support for common sense measures to reduce gun violence in the United States. According to recent polls, 92% of Americans support background checks for all gun purchases and 86% support banning gun sales to individuals on terror watch lists; and
WHEREAS, on June 22nd, 2016, Representative Joyce Beatty and other Democrats in the United States House of Representatives organized a sit in to protest the failure to bring common sense gun control measures to a vote; now, therefore
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS:
That this Council does hereby express its support for common sense gun control measures and encourages the Congress of the United States of America to heed the call of Representative Joyce Beatty and her colleagues to take action and pass measures overwhelmingly supported by residents of the City of Columbus and...
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