Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson continues to shift blame for problems literally in his own back yard

Ohio gun owners are very familiar with Cleveland Mayor Frank Jackson, even if they are blessed to live outside of Cuyahoga County.

Throughout his years as mayor, Jackson has sought to punish law-abiding gun owners for the violence in his crime-plagued city again and again and again.

His latest effort comes via a letter to President Joe Biden, signed by 27 other mayors, asking for help to reduce gun violence.

From Cleveland's Plain Dealer:

The mayors, all from major U.S. cities, praised proposals already put forward, such as red flag laws various states have adopted and proposals to limit so-called ghost guns.

But more is needed, they said.

“We write to congratulate you and your administration on the steps you have already taken to address the scourge of gun violence we face in cities across America,” the letter, dated June 15, states. “We believe there are other steps that the federal government is uniquely qualified to take to enhance the efforts already underway.”

Those steps, the mayors wrote, include:

Using the platform of the presidency to emphasize that reducing gun violence is a public health imperative.

Pushing for meaningful and common-sense gun control legislation.

Implementing universal background checks, closing loopholes in gun laws, banning assault weapons and promoting policies that keep guns out of the hands of people who are dangerous to themselves and others.

The letter was sent to Biden through the United States Conference of Mayors.

The article notes that as crime rose in Cleveland during the pandemic, Jackson often cited the ease with which guns can be obtained as a major factor in crime in Cleveland and other cities.

But Ohio gun owners know, if Jackson really wanted to do something about crime, he would start literally with his own house:

• Man who posed for photo with gun in Mayor Frank Jackson’s driveway named in gang case involving mayor’s great-grandson
• Mayor Frank Jackson has a crime problem — at home
• Anomalies add up in deadly shooting investigation involving Mayor Frank Jackson’s grandson
• Appearance of conflict-of-interest at issue in criminal cases involving Mayor Frank Jackson’s grandson, experts say

In a statement released following the arrest of his grandson in 2017, Mayor Jackson said "Frank is my grandson and as any parent or grandparent who has raised children in a challenging environment knows, there is a constant worry about their wellbeing."

Mayor Jackson's repeated efforts to violate the Second Amendment rights of residents of this "challenging environment" have been found by courts to be unconstitutional (see here and here).

In early 2018, the Ohio Supreme Court refused to take up the City of Cleveland's appeal of an Eighth District Court of Appeals decision which declared that a Cleveland gun offender registry and several gun regulations first proposed by Mayor Frank Jackson in 2014, and passed by city council in 2015 are unconstitutional. A lower court had already struck down other parts of the law in 2016.

Buckeye Firearms Association has fought Jackson's efforts for many years. We have repeatedly exposed the fact that the local gun control policies he supports are rarely used to prosecute crimes because, as municipal statutes, they can only be enforced as misdemeanors, whereas when crimes are committed involving firearms, state laws have been violated that carry felony penalties are involved. Given the choice, prosecutors will naturally chose to pursue charges on the higher penalty.

It's no surprise that crime is up in a "challenging environment" like Cleveland. What else would anyone expect when the city "leaders" are part of the problem instead of part of the solution?

Chad D. Baus served as Buckeye Firearms Association Secretary from 2013-2019, and continues to serve on the Board of Directors. He is co-founder of BFA-PAC, and served as its Vice Chairman for 15 years. He is the editor of BuckeyeFirearms.org, which received the Outdoor Writers of Ohio 2013 Supporting Member Award for Best Website, and is also an NRA-certified firearms instructor.