Cleveland union asks Kasich to suspend open carry during convention

Ohio Gov. John Kasich has declined to grant a request from the Cleveland Police union to not allow open-carry guns around the Republican National Convention.

The request from the union came after 3 police officers were killed in Baton Rouge, La., on Sunday.

The president of Cleveland’s police union Stephen Loomis told CNN that “We are sending a letter to Gov. Kasich requesting assistance from him. He could very easily do some kind of executive order or something — I don’t care if it’s constitutional or not at this point.”

Kasich spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach said the union representing Cleveland police officers is expected to submit a letter to Kasich, asking that open carry be suspended. Kalmbach said “Law enforcement is a noble, essential calling and we all grieve that we’ve again seen attacks on officers. Ohio governors do not have the power to arbitrarily suspend federal and state constitutional rights or state laws as suggested. The bonds between our communities and police must be reset and rebuilt—as we’re doing in Ohio—so our communities and officers can both be safe. Everyone has an important role to play in that renewal.”

Ohio law permits licesed gun owners to carry weapons in public outside the secure zone around Quicken Loans Arena where the convention events are held.

Ohio House Speaker Cliff Rosenberger, who is in Cleveland for the convention said the country can’t “live in fear.”

“We’ll be praying here to continue to have a safe week in here. This is now my second day in Cleveland and I’ve gotten to see a lot of what’s going on and the security that has been put in place. I’m very confident in all the work that they have done here.”

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