Update, 2:42 PM: Governor John Kasich responds to the anticipated ask.
Original Post, 1:57 PM: Steve Loomis, president of the Cleveland police union, has said he will ask Ohio’s governor to ban the open carrying of weapons in Cuyahoga County for the week—that is, during the Republican National Convention. He announced his intention shortly after a shooting in Baton Rouge, Louisiana that left several officers dead and wounded.
Ohio is an open carry state, although Cleveland is also the city in which Tamir Rice was shot and killed while playing outside with a toy gun in 2014. He was 12 years old. In December, an Ohio grand jury decided not to indict the officer who killed him or the other officer present.
The Republican National Convention, outside of which people have already been photographed carrying assault rifles, will be held from July 18 through July 21. Activists are preparing by raising funds for protesters. The mayor of Cleveland, meanwhile, has insisted the city is ready for anything.
