Ohio Ballot Board approves gun initiative

COLUMBUS — The Ohio Ballot Board approved petition language today submitted by Ohioans for Gun Safety for a ballot initiative, likely next year.

The group will now begin collecting the 132,887 signatures they need to put the statute in front of the state Legislature. The proposal, if approved by voters, would require background checks on nearly all gun sales.

“The majority of Ohioans support background checks on gun purchases because they’re simple, they work and they reduce gun violence and save lives,” said Dennis Willard, spokesperson for Ohioans for Gun Safety. “We already have a large number of people signed up to volunteer and help collect signatures, and we believe that number will grow in the coming months.”