2 Ohio state senators propose statewide ban on assault weapons

COLUMBUS (AP) — Two Democratic lawmakers in Ohio want assault weapons banned statewide in the wake of recent deadly mass shootings.

Sens. Michael Skindell and Charleta Tavares introduced legislation today making it a fifth-degree felony to possess or acquire a firearm considered an "assault weapon."

That includes any automatic or semi-automatic firearm capable of accepting a detachable magazine with the capacity to accept ten or more cartridges. It also includes any semi-automatic firearm with a fixed magazine that can accept ten cartridges or more.

A similar bill the pair introduced in 2013 went nowhere in Ohio's Republican-led Legislature.

Their latest effort follows comments Monday by Republican Gov. John Kasich supporting limits of the ability to sell weapons often used in mass killings, such as the AR-15 rifle.