Injunction lifted that had allowed Columbus to enforce stricter gun laws

A nine-month injunction that allowed Columbus to enforce stricter gun laws than the rest of Ohio is gone.

Attorney General Dave Yost called the removal by the Ohio 10th District Court of Appeals of the preliminary injunction initially awarded by a Franklin County judge in November a win for the state that creates uniformity in gun legislation.

“The court’s ruling assures that all Ohioans must abide by the same law, state law, when it comes to firearms,” Yost said. “Just like we argued in court, firearms owners statewide should have to follow the same rules. We applaud the decision.”

The court’s decision said the city failed to prove irreparable injury, harm to others or public interest when he sought the injunction against the state’s firearms uniformity law.

The case goes back to the Franklin County court.

The injunction allowed the Columbus City Council to pass several gun ordinances in December, including safe storage requirements, bans on high-capacity magazines and a provision to make it easier for police and prosecutors to target illegal guns on the streets.

Columbus City Attorney Zach Klein argued before the appeals court the city had the right to enact laws to protect public safety.

“Recklessly passing legislation at the Statehouse to pour limitless guns into our streets with no checks and no training has led to chaos and needless death, but the state continues to stand in the way of the ability for cities like Columbus to do anything about it,” Klein said. “The city of Columbus will continue to defend its right to enact laws that protect public safety, keep our kids and communities safe and support police and prosecutors to do their jobs to enforce the laws already on the books and keep guns out of the wrong hands.”