Ohio Judge Blocks Part of State Firearms Preemption Law (1)

A Cincinnati-area judge on Thursday blocked part of an Ohio law that bars municipalities from setting their own firearms laws, writing that the state “took away one effective tool” in the Queen City’s ability to combat escalating gun violence.

Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge Jennifer L. Branch, ruling in a lawsuit brought by the southwest Ohio city, wrote that amendments to a 2006 law violate the state constitution’s home-rule provision, which generally gives municipalities the ability to govern and police themselves.

Branch, a Democrat, wrote at the beginning of a 34-page ruling granting a preliminary injunction that Cincinnati Mayor Aftab ...