Statehouse News Bureau

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U.S. Senator Rob Portman Says More Needs To Be Done To Prevent Gun Violence

By Jo Ingles

Published September 5, 2019 at 10:16 PM EDT

U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R) [Statehouse News Bureau] — U.S. Sen. Rob Portman (R)

Republican U.S. Sen. Rob Portman says he supports parts of Gov. Mike DeWine’s 17-point plan to curb gun violence in Ohio.

Portman says he thinks more needs to be done to make sure people with mental health problems are in the federal background check system to flag gun purchases.

“I think we can do more to tighten that up and my understanding is the president and others are willing to work on this together because if it’s not bipartisan, it’s not going to happen," Portman says.

Portman says he supports Gov. Mike DeWine’s version of a red-flag law that would let police take guns away from people determined to be dangerous to themselves or others. But there are questions as to whether there is enough support for it among Republicans in the state legislature to pass it.