By Halena Sepulveda
Broadcast version by Emily Scott reporting for the Kent State-Ohio News Connection Collaboration.

Even though Ohio has been relaxing gun laws for years, some fear the "constitutional carry" bill that was signed into law by Gov. Mike DeWine this week, could lead to more domestic violence incidents around the state.

"We are actually worried about the increase in loss of life," said Michaela Deming, Policy Director for the Ohio Domestic Violence Network.

On March 14, Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 215 into law. It eliminates the requirement that all individuals carrying a concealed weapon obtain a concealed carry license and complete the proper training to receive a permit. It is the latest law loosening gun restrictions in Ohio. In 2015, HB 234 relaxed requirements to obtain a concealed carry permit. In 2017, the state enacted Senate Bill 199, also referred to as Ohio's "campus carry bill," allowing firearms on university campuses, and in April 2021 Senate Bill 175, the "stand your ground" law was passed, making Ohio the 36th state to no longer require individuals to retreat before using a firearm in self-defense.

Ohio's Lack of Restrictions

As of March 2021, Ohio has no state laws that prohibit individuals convicted of domestic violence misdemeanors from possessing a firearm. The state also has no laws requiring the removal of a firearm from individuals after the issuance of a domestic violence protective order unless the firearm has been used to threaten or harm victims.

However, the state does adhere to federal law when dealing with previously convicted individuals possessing firearms.

Federal legislation such as the Lautenberg Amendment works to give a general blanket of protection regarding gun laws no matter what state an individual lives in. The Lautenberg Amendment declares it a felony on a federal level for any individual previously convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence to possess a firearm.

Due to this application of federal law, the Ohio legislature has not left domestic violence victims completely defenseless regarding gun laws and restrictions placed on people convicted of domestic abuse. But Dr. Michelle Grim, chair of Toledo City Council's Health Promotion and Access Committee, says abusers have found ways to get around these restrictions.

"Ohio has some pretty weak domestic violence firearm laws," says Dr. Grim. "There are a lot of loopholes."

One loophole in the Lautenberg Amendment, which Dr. Grim referred to as "the Boyfriend Loophole," only prevents individuals with previous misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence from possessing a firearm when the offender was a current or former spouse of the victim, currently lived with the victim, was similarly situated with a spouse, guardian or parent of a victim or shared a child with the victim. This meant that individuals who committed domestic violence on a partner with whom they did not live or share a child were still able to purchase and possess a firearm.

Gun Laws in Domestic Violence Cases

After the passing of the Stand Your Ground Law in April of last year, Ohio reported a total of 131 domestic violence fatalities in the year period beginning July 1, 2020, and ending June 30, 2021; this being the most recent data collected on a statewide level that depicts the correlation between gun laws and domestic violence fatalities.

On a national level, states that have enacted laws prohibiting individuals convicted of any violent misdemeanor from possessing a firearm were met with a 21% reduction in firearm intimate partner homicide. This shows that stricter gun laws can directly impact domestic violence fatality rates, something for which many Ohio Democrats demand more action.

"There is an 11 times higher risk of a fatal domestic violence incident when a firearm is present," Deming says. "Removing firearms from these dangerous domestic violence offenders is one of the best ways that we have of decreasing domestic violence related fatalities in the state."

Deming says that in the state of Ohio, around 86% of domestic violence fatalities are perpetrated with a gun. Studies show that nationally, an average of 70 women are shot and killed by an intimate partner every month. Domestic violence organizations across the state worry that the passing of SB 215 could result in an even greater increase in domestic violence fatalities.

What SB 215 Will Change in Ohio

Under the new legislation, three basic changes will be made to the state's gun laws that will affect individuals across the state of Ohio:

● Ohioans no longer need training or a permit to carry a concealed weapon.
● People carrying concealed weapons do not need to carry a license with them.
● Gun owners no longer need to promptly notify police officers of the presence of a firearm.

The legislation, also known as "constitutional carry," has been a goal for many firearms organizations and lobbyist groups on both a national and state level. The Buckeye Firearms Association in Ohio is one proponent of the bill and argues that the bill has no correlation in the case of domestic violence fatalities or instances.

"It [SB 215] won't change who can own a firearm," says Executive Director Dean Rieck. "The same laws apply right now that will apply later." Rieck stresses that will not have an effect on who can legally possess a firearm, but only where they can take it.

"Domestic violence is happening in the home, we're talking about carrying outside of the home. I see zero relationship between those two things," he said.

On the other hand, Ohio Democrats called on Governor DeWine to veto the bill, fearing the negative consequences it could have on a statewide level.

"There's gun violence everywhere," says Dr. Grim, who stressed the importance of calling attention to and discussing the impacts of gun violence in all parts of the state. "It's not just our cities, it's our rural areas [too]."

Along with members of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network and other domestic violence organizations statewide, The Ohio Fraternal Order of Police and The Ohio Mayor's Alliance opposed S.B. 215 due to, among other reasons, the burden individuals such as Dr. Grim feels it places on law enforcement.

"It's going to be a dangerous situation for citizens and also for police officers," she said.

This collaboration is produced in association with Media in the Public Interest and funded in part by the George Gund Foundation.

Domestic-violence prevention organizations in Minnesota continue to express relief over a U.S. Supreme Court ruling dealing with abusers having access to firearms.

In an 8-to-1 decision released Friday, the court upheld a federal law barring people subject to a domestic-violence restraining order from owning guns. Violence Free Minnesota reported from 1989 to 2018, guns were used in nearly half of cases around the state in which adult women were killed by an intimate partner.

Connie Moore is executive director of Alexandra House, a service organization for survivors in the Twin Cities. She noted weapons are also used to intimidate a partner who is planning to escape a dangerous situation.

"Many victim/survivors have reported about a gun being pointed at them and threatening, 'I'll kill you if you leave me,'" Moore observed.

Moore noted there are still challenges in ensuring a gun's removal, even when a restraining order has been issued. Minnesota does have a law covering the removal process but support groups said there is uneven enforcement around the country. This decision comes two years after the Supreme Court greatly expanded gun rights.

Moore pointed out the federal law not only protects survivors and their children, but also first responders in 911 calls stemming from domestic violence.

"We know that domestic calls for law enforcement are one of the most dangerous calls that they go on," Moore emphasized.

She pointed to the three first responders killed earlier this year in a call in the suburb of Burnsville. The tragedy led to a change in state law concerning straw purchases of guns.

Meanwhile, survivor groups also press for reforms when it comes to obtaining a protection order, noting there are a range of barriers just getting that step taken care of.


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Ohio advocates said the Biden administration's new Title IX regulations better protect victims of sexual assault, even as a group of states temporarily blocked the new rules, following controversy over expanded protections for transgender and LGBTQ+ students.

The federal civil rights legislation has continually morphed since it was created in the 1970s to ban discrimination in education programs and student activities receiving federal funding.

Emily Gemar, director of public policy for the Ohio Alliance to End Violence, said Ohioans should feel encouraged the latest batch of rules helps create a safer and more supportive environment for students who've experienced sexual assault.

"One of the changes that the Department of Education has included in its final regulations: They've reinstated that investigations have to be prompt, which was something that the Trump administration had removed," Gemar pointed out.

The final rules clarify the steps a school must take to protect students and employees from discrimination based on pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and sex characteristics. It also protects against retaliation for people who exercise their Title IX rights. The new rules go into effect on August 1.

Gemar added communities can play a role in creating a violence-free environment for young people.

"We should all want at the end of the day is to send not only just our young schoolchildren, but our young adults into environments that have these protective measures in place," Gemar asserted. "To appropriately address sex-based harassment and other forms of sex-based discrimination."

Studies have found approximately 26% of all female undergraduate students and nearly 7% of all male undergraduate students have experienced sexual assault, according to the American Association of University Women.


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Four years after the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers are still studying its effects on society.

A new report focusing on domestic violence during the pandemic revealed social backgrounds and life circumstances played a significant role in how survivors view their abuse.

Paige Sweet, assistant professor of sociology at the University of Michigan and author of the report, conducted interviews with 50 pandemic-era abuse survivors in Michigan, most of whom were struggling financially. Sweet said the small group who experienced it as a novel period of violence were likely to be middle-class.

"These survivors often didn't have to rely on things like domestic violence shelters," Sweet pointed out. "They often had good social networks, so, like, someone could go stay at their parent's house, for example, when the violence increased in the relationship."

At the height of the pandemic, domestic violence care providers reported an increased danger for anyone experiencing abuse, due to more time spent at home with their abusers.

Sweet pointed out survivors who live in marginalized communities experienced abuse during the pandemic as just another social crisis.

"They were sort of used to thinking of their relationship as something that was regularly disrupted by things like arrests, by things like homelessness," Sweet outlined. "Family and friends having to come stay in their house."

Sweet added many middle-class survivors were willing to seek therapy to help stay in their relationships and they were not "deathly afraid" of their abusers. But those living in poverty often were forced back into abusive situations because they depend on their abusers financially.

The research showed domestic abuse is often part of many other social problems knitted into survivors' lives, and Sweet argued there must be resources in place to address the issues.

"To stabilize their families, to stabilize their housing situations, to have access to good jobs, good food," Sweet emphasized. "In order for them to stay away from abusive relationships, they have to have those things secured."

She added policies should focus not just on treating or responding to abuse but on building up families to help prevent it.


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