BFA-backed constitutional amendment for 60% threshold to appear on August ballot

UPDATE: SJR 2 will appear on the ballot on August 8 as "Issue 1." Vote YES for Issue 1.

The Ohio House of Representatives today (May 10) passed Senate Joint Resolution 2, getting us one step closer to requiring a 60% threshold for changes to the Ohio Constitution.

The House voted 56-32 to put the measure on the Aug. 8 ballot. Only a simple majority vote was needed.

The final vote on the resolution itself was 62-37. A three-fifths majority (60 votes) was needed.

All Democrats voted against the resolution and August ballot, as did five Republicans: Jamie Callender, Jay Edwards, Brett Hillyer, Jeff LaRe, and Thomas Patton.

The Senate adopted the resolution April 19 by a vote of 26-7, with all Republicans in favor and all Democrats opposed.

SJR 2 is critical to the future of gun rights in Ohio, and putting the measure on the ballot gives the state's voters the chance to decide on it.

Buckeye Firearms Association has been a key advocate for this legislation because it is essential to defending our rights to keep and bear arms in the future. The reason for our position lies in the realities of political campaigns. It’s no secret that it takes millions for politicians to win elections for high offices. Senate and gubernatorial campaigns cost tens of millions of dollars these days. But the same is also true for statewide ballot issues.

Related news: BFA delivers thousands of email messages to key House members urging support for SJR 2

Gun grabbers like New York billionaire Mike Bloomberg bankroll ballot issues that would restrict and seize our constitutional rights.

SJR 2, if approved by voters, would raise the bar for passing changes to our foundational document to 60% instead of a simple majority, thereby making it much harder for out-of-state money to force their values upon Ohio.

Without this change, firearms owners are vulnerable to constitutional amendments banning "assault weapons," high-capacity magazines, semi-automatic firearms, and much more.

The media and anti-gun activist groups are fighting against this hard, so we're doing all we can to get on the ballot in August.

This is a developing story.