There are gun purchase waiting periods and then there are “holy crap” long gun purchase waiting periods. And that’s just what two Democratic lawmakers in Ohio want to make happen, the Ohio Capital Journal is reporting. The two have introduced a proposal for a 10-day waiting period for gun purchases, claiming it would reduce violence by giving buyers time to “cool off.” However, the bill’s sponsors, state Reps. Cecil Thomas and Rachel Baker, are relying on questionable studies that have been widely criticized by experts for their methodological flaws and inconsistent results.
The proposal, which would apply to licensed dealers only, faces strong opposition in the Republican-controlled legislature, where gun rights are a top priority.
The bill is backed by a 2017 study that suggests mandatory waiting periods could reduce gun homicides by 17% and suicides by 7-11%. However, these claims have been repeatedly challenged by research reviews from organizations like RAND, which highlight the methodological limitations and inconsistent findings across various studies. These reviews emphasize that it’s difficult, if not impossible, to isolate the effect of waiting periods alone from other variables, such as local crime rates, enforcement practices, and mental health policies. The 2017 study, which looked at the effects of waiting periods from 1970 to 2014, apparently didn’t consider that in that same time frame, violent crime, including homocides dropped signficantly. In that same time frame, more awareness was given to suicide prevention. So, their findings were likely coincidence.
Despite this, Thomas and Baker argue that a waiting period would prevent impulsive decisions during emotional distress, citing the potential to reduce suicides and domestic violence-related incidents. “This brief cooling off period provides individuals with the time to reconsider their purchase,” Thomas said. But critics argue that such claims are based more on emotion than evidence, and that waiting periods do little to address the root causes of violent crime. They could also leave people in domestic violence situations more vulnerable by not allowing them to quickly purchase a firearm for their protection.
Research on the effectiveness of waiting periods is far from conclusive. According to multiple reviews, including those by RAND, the studies often fail to show consistent evidence that waiting periods effectively reduce violent crime. In some cases, studies suggest that waiting periods might even have the opposite effect, with criminals who are not deterred by such laws simply finding alternative ways to acquire firearms. These reviews point out that waiting periods primarily burden law-abiding citizens, who are forced to wait longer to exercise their Second Amendment rights, while doing little to stop criminals from acquiring firearms.
“We’re not dealing with law-abiding citizens committing crimes,” said Rep. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, in response to the bill. “Criminals don’t follow laws, and they certainly don’t respect waiting periods. All this proposal does is penalize responsible gun owners.”
The sponsors of the bill argue that it would align Ohio with states like California and Washington, D.C., which already impose similar waiting periods. But these states have long histories of overregulation and ineffective gun laws that fail to reduce crime. Despite their strict laws, states like California continue to struggle with high levels of violent crime, proving that waiting periods are not a silver bullet.
Rep. Rachel Baker, a Cincinnati Democrat, insisted that the measure respects Second Amendment rights while promoting public safety. “The most effective firearm safety policies are those that respect rights with responsibility,” Baker said. But forcing citizens to wait 10 days to purchase a firearm hardly respects their constitutional rights. In fact, it seems more like an attempt to impose further restrictions on gun ownership, relying on faulty evidence to justify its necessity.
Opponents of the bill argue that the existing background check system already provides an effective safeguard. When a person attempts to purchase a firearm from a licensed dealer, a background check is automatically conducted. If there is any doubt about the buyer’s eligibility, federal authorities are given three business days to respond. The proposed 10-day waiting period would do little to improve public safety, they argue, and would only serve to frustrate law-abiding citizens.
Republicans in the committee were quick to challenge the bill, with State Rep. Bill Seitz raising concerns about its constitutionality. He pointed out that Ohio voters recently passed an amendment protecting abortion rights, and that courts have blocked similar waiting period provisions for abortion. “If a waiting period for abortion is an infringement on constitutional rights, how is this any different?” Seitz asked.
Thomas and Baker struggled to answer this challenge, with Thomas conceding that the matter might be left to the courts. But their inability to defend the constitutionality of the bill only underscores the weak foundation on which it rests.
once, I encountered a 10 day waiting period for a gun. It took 10 days for my ordered gun to arrive at the LGS.
There was a saying back in the 50s that the only good communist was a dead communist. It still holds truth today for those who hate the freedoms and liberties enumerated in our Constitution, as the communists did.
h ttps://www.foxnews.com/us/no-one-helped-her-nj-woman-murdered-by-ex-while-awaiting-gun-permit
That happens. Like most safety related laws, including seat belt laws, there is a trade-off on the waiting period idea.
Personally, I wonder how many people are so aggravated by the “cooling off period” that they tend to fly off the handle the moment they get the gun…
I wonder if those same
Demsdemons would advocate for a 10-day waiting period for an abortion.Over 60 percent of women who had abortions report high levels of pressure to abort from one or more sources, and those same women report higher levels of subsequent mental health and quality of life issues.
h ttps://www.cureus.com/articles/124269-effects-of-pressure-to-abort-on-womens-emotional-responses-and-mental-health#!/
left wing liberals attack children again…
BREAKING: “Viable Nonanomalous” 6-Month-Old Fetuses Sold From Planned Parenthood Abortions to University of California, New Documents Show.
“SAN DIEGO, Nov. 21—Never-before-seen documents released under a California public records request show Planned Parenthood supplying “viable nonanomalous” fetuses up to 23 weeks old from elective abortions to UC San Diego, as part of its contract to sell the University “proprietary” “fetal material” in exchange for the “valuable consideration” of owning any “patents” and “intellectual property” developed experimenting with them.”
h ttps://www.centerformedicalprogress.org/2024/11/breaking-viable-nonanomalous-6-month-old-fetuses-sold-from-planned-parenthood-abortions-to-university-of-california-new-documents-show/
Ya know I vividly remember going to the Science & Museum(Chicago) as a kid. Prominently displayed were garish large bottles with dead babies Er fetuses up to 9 months. This would be the 60’s. As an adult I’m outraged. I dunno if they ever got a proper burial. Pipe in any Chicago denizens.
I do not know about the impulse under stress thing however this law would have saved me a little money on more then just one of the purchases I have made.
Come to think of it, this might not be a bad idea for a whole list of things.
Is it a 10 calendar day waiting period or a 10 business day waiting period? Washington State has a 10 business day waiting period. In reality, the waiting period approaches 1/2 a month. That’s a ridiculous amount of time.
3 days is a ridiculous amount of time. The folks pushing this would realize that immediately if they had to leave their new iPhones in the hands of folks that don’t like them for 3 days.
Whatever is longer. Usually 10 business days.
California is calendar days.
40calbooger.
I cant directly reply to post but that abortion fetus stuff is some pretty sick shit.
I don’t know much about abortion but it’s not like the whole baby comes out at once is it. I thought they suck out mush or something.
Something out of a Science Fiction movie, baby farms for experiments.
I suppose in the name of science and medicine weird shit has to be done but Wow.
these are viable fetus…aborted whole and living by use of drugs, they are living innocent defenseless human infants when aborted this way, being sold for experimentation for profit.
its not the normal ‘dismemberment’ type of abortion.
the radical left wing is out to attack and get the children one way or another, either by aborting them living or indoctrination or converting them to an imaginary gender.
There a couple types of abortion in which the baby is either delivered or brought out intact, and sometimes still alive and subsequently killed. They all have fancy medical names, and they are all abhorrent. Man’s inhumanity to man. God help us.
That’s fcked up.
And its legal.
hmmm…legal? maybe not it turns out. no where in the US is it legal to sell a viable living human infant for experimentation and profit by calling it ‘fetal tissue’.
NY has entered the chat: not sure if it is legal to call it tissue but all the stuff the media claims isn’t legal and doesn’t happen in Virginia is absolutely in progress here including hospice care after birth.
Like everything else they do, if it’s so wonderful, then why are they ashamed of the truth? Why aren’t they bragging about the things they’re doing?
“The border is secure.”
“The border crisis is Trump’s fault.”
“There won’t be inflation. Pass these historic spending bills.” “Inflation is Trump’s fault.”
Ohio is permitless carry, and no permit required for purchase. This push for a waiting period is DOA.
True. Also, FFLs don’t like it, makes the private market harder to compete with.
Then there are states like Washington where every private sale must go thru a dealer. It gets messed up and complicated and takes a lot of an FFL’s time.
They get paid for their time.
In Ohio the (R)s control all branches of government, so the chance of this garbage passing is very low. These same guys introduce ridiculous bills like this every session.
However, I’m sure our weasel governor would love to sign this into law if he was given the chance. He’s a big government, anti-rights, high-tax RINO in the same vein as the last several (R) governors we’ve had.
Lol! I moved out of Newsome’s homeless hell hole TO Ohio! It felt like paradise!
In California we had homeless camps every where. Having something that made you feel SAFE (like a firearm) was truly a blessing.
In Ohio, we do have some rich pockets that want to dictate their opinions (maybe they watch The View?), but so far our state is holding the line.
God bless Ohio!
They can push their 10 day waiting period up their ass. That probably excites them more than the waiting period itself.
No chance. Ohio, like Florida, went from one of the biggest swing states to bring solid red. The funny part is lefties literally sit around perplexed as to why this keeps happening.
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