Shooting near Columbus football game turned joy to panic. Ohio must stop this | Opinion

Christine Cockley is currently serving her first term as a state representative. She represents the 6th House District, which encompasses part of Franklin County.

Friends and neighbors, I am sick and tired of gun violence.

Just last week, West High School brought community members together for a fundraiser to support student uniforms.

The band played at a pep rally on the Hilltop to thank neighbors for their support. It was a moment that reflected the best of who we are— a community that shows up for one another, celebrates together, and invests in the future.

But then, only days later, what should have been another celebration at West High, was cut short.

Shots were fired nearby a Friday night football game, causing an evacuation of the stadium. Friends and neighbors, who came together to enjoy an evening of football and community spirit, were forced to scatter in fear.

From joy to panic in an instant

That is not what community should look like.

Not one more football game should be canceled because of gun violence. Not one more block party, concert, or cookout should be interrupted by the sound of gunfire. Not one more neighborhood gathering should turn from joy to panic in an instant.

Gun violence cannot be allowed to define our communities.

We all know what makes the Hilltop, or any of our neighborhoods, strong: people.

People who look out for one another, who work hard to improve their communities, who build relationships to support small businesses, schools, and nonprofits.

Those are the things that define us. But when gunfire pierces our streets, it overshadows everything else. It robs us of joy, safety, and connection.

This is not inevitable. It is a policy choice.

Right now, too many elected officials at the Statehouse are choosing to protect the gun lobby instead of protecting our neighborhoods. They refuse to move forward on commonsense reforms that would make a difference. Now is the time to put people first.

Just last month, I held a gun violence prevention town hall where neighbors, survivors, and advocates came together to share their stories. The pain was real, but so was the determination. People in our community are ready for action, not more empty words; and we know exactly where to start:

• House Bill 45: Prohibit certain firearm transfers without a background check (Rep. Cecil Thomas, D-Cincinnati, and Rep. Rachel Baker, D-Cincinnati)
• House Bill 46: Enact the Extreme Risk Protection Order Act (Cecil Thomas and Rep. Michele Grim, D-Toledo)
• House Bill 328: Fit, Safe, and Strong Communities Act (Rep. Darnell T. Brewer, D-Cleveland, and Rep. Monica Robb Blasdel, R-New Waterford)
• House Bill 358: Safe Firearm Storage Education Act (Brewer and Tex Fischer, R-Boardman)

Bills collecting dust

These bills have already been introduced in the Ohio House of Representatives. They have co-sponsors.

They have community support. What they don’t have is a hearing, because House Republican leadership refuses to even allow debate.

Every day these bills collect dust, more Ohio families suffer the consequences of inaction. More lives are lost. More neighborhoods are shaken. More children grow up with gun violence as the backdrop to their lives.

It does not have to be this way.

We can build communities where safety, joy, and connection are stronger than fear.

But that requires courage at the Statehouse and pressure from the public. My call to action is this: pick up the phone or send an email.

Call and email the committee chairs. Call and email your representatives. Tell them it’s time to do their jobs and act on gun safety.

It comes down to us

This isn’t about partisanship. It’s about people. It’s about whether our Friday nights are defined by the sounds of a marching band or the sound of gunfire. It’s about whether neighbors can gather on porches, in parks, or at games without looking over their shoulders.

It’s about whether we want to be remembered as a state that threw up its hands in the face of preventable violence or one that came together and said this is enough. Not one more.

My heart breaks for the families and students who had their football game cut short by fear.

And, my condolences go out to all the families in the Hilltop and everywhere else in our country who have lost a loved one to gun violence. We must move forward with determination to make sure we don’t keep repeating this cycle.

Not one more life should be lost, not one more neighborhood shattered, not one more gathering disrupted because of gun violence.

Christine Cockley is currently serving her first term as a state representative. She represents the 6th House District, which encompasses part of Franklin County.