CLEVELAND — When the dust settled after a mass shooting in downtown Cleveland early Sunday, Mayor Justin Bibb arrived on the scene to address the community. He not only expressed his concern about the gun violence in our streets but also had some thoughts as to who could be responsible.
“Last summer, the Republican-led legislature in Columbus passed Senate Bill 215, and across the state from Cleveland to Columbus, Cincinnati, we’ve seen an uptick in shootings in our state,” Bibb said. “We need Republicans in Columbus to give us mayors more tools to get guns off our streets.”
SB 215 could be boiled down to three basic changes. Once the governor signed it into law last summer, it meant anyone 21 years of age and older who could legally own a gun could conceal it without a permit, thus eliminating eight hours of safety training that used the be mandatory. The law also meant anyone with a concealed carry permit didn’t have to keep that license on them. Lastly, if stopped by police, someone with a concealed weapon wouldn’t have to tell officers about it unless the officer specifically asked.
News 5 anchor Rob Powers spoke with Mayor Bibb Monday evening, and he reiterated his concerns with the law.
"If we don’t change the gun culture in our city, and this state and this country, we are going to see mass shootings. We have to get the guns off our street," Bibb said.
But, while the mayor is pointing to Columbus, the Ohio GOP released a statement saying the laws are not the issue here. Powers also spoke with Cuyahoga County Republican Party Chair Lisa Stickan.
“The fact that people can get guns that easily, like on the streets or in their community, not through a legal method? To me, that’s a problem. That’s something we need to really look into,” she said. Stickan said rather than looking to Columbus for solutions, Bibb should be prioritizing police training and recruitment to keep our streets safe.
“Cities are becoming combat zones where the police are afraid to do their job. They’re not given the resources and training,” she said. “This is a serious issue, and it can get worse if we don’t address it now.”
We still don’t know all the details of what happened Sunday. But Stickan said violence like this can be blamed on what she called “street guns.”
“These are guns of people who, you know, they’re not by law allowed to have a gun anyway,” she said.
While the Mayor is blaming Ohio gun laws for violence like what we saw over the weekend, and Stickan says the buck stops with our cities' mayors, both sides did agree; something’s got to give.
"I need more tools, and I need every level from D.C. to Columbus to help big city mayors across the state and across the country to come up with common sense gun reform," Bibb said.
The shooting
According to the Cleveland Division of Police, at around 2:30 a.m., an unknown person fired shots at a group of people in the Warehouse District near West 6th Street. Nine people were injured in the shooting. Authorities are still looking for the shooter, and no suspects have been announced.
Cleveland EMS transported the shooting victims, seven men and two women ages 22 to 38 years old, to MetroHealth Medical Center for treatment. The victims' conditions are unknown.
During a news conference later in the day, Bibb called it a “tragic and sad day” that “truly shows the massive gun problem we have, not just in Cleveland, not just in Ohio, but across this nation.”
Bibb called on state and national legislators to give city leaders more tools to crack down on the proliferation of firearms.
“I am sick and tired of getting these calls late at night,” he said. “I am sick and tired of hearing from our residents and victims of gun violence and Republicans blaming us as mayors for violent crime. We need their help.”
Officials said a large police presence is on hand in the district every weekend, and officers and first responders responded immediately, as did the sheriff’s department.
The shooter fired into a crowd despite the visible presence of police officers, Drummond said, adding that even “2,000 more officers” wouldn't have stopped what happened. He called for a “holistic” approach, including "economic development, prevention, intervention, opportunities" to help turn things around.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
You can watch more about the shooting in the player below:
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