Some victims of gun violence are urging Ohioans to talk to their elected representatives about passing a national bill that would require background checks on purchases made through private sellers. Ohio Public Radio's Jo Ingles reports.
Kelly Cameron of Columbus knows about gun violence first hand. She was 12 when she saw her step father commit violent acts.
Cameron = He put a gun to my sisters heads. They were 2 and 3 old at the time. And he threatened if my Mom were to leave him, he would shoot them. He did that a number of times even though he had domestic abuse charges against him. The police had been called. I had called the police to my house a number of times on my own. Finally my Mom did get the courage to leave him.
Cameron says new legislation requiring background checks on guns would have prevented her step father from purchasing guns after his first domestic violence conviction. But Girard Valentino of the Buckeye Firearms Association says there’s no evidence to show incidences of violence will decrease with background checks. And he fears those checks could lead to unconstitutional government interference with gun owners.
Valentino – Every time a gun registration scheme has been implemented in any country at any time, it has led to gun confiscation.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is pouring millions of his own money into a national campaign aimed at getting voters to call their elected representatives to demand passage of a background check law.