DeWine on gun control, Trump, marijuana

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- In a one-on-one interview Monday, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine talked about the Statehouse special session, House Bill 6 as it relates to the state’s largest bribery scandal, whether he and the legislature see eye-to-eye, and the opening of a new state park.

You can watch the full interview further down in this article.

The governor, who is term-limited and not allowed to run for the office in 2026, also discussed what gun legislation he would like to see cross his desk, the felony conviction of former President Donald Trump, and his crusade against Delta-8 THC products being available to juveniles.

Gun Violence

DeWine talked about the mass shooting in northeast Ohio over the weekend.

“Whenever you have a tragedy like that, you want to get the facts and see, ‘Well, what can we learn from that and is there something we could be done to prevent that,’” DeWine said.

There were also several shootings in Columbus over the weekend. DeWine said he wants to see one specific measure passed and sent to his desk -- to increase penalties for repeat violent offenders.

Watch the full interview with Gov. Mike DeWine below.

“Give the judges the power to lock them up for a long time,” he said. “These individuals have been told time and time again they’re not allowed to have a gun. They give up their right to have a gun because they commit a violent offense in the state of Ohio. We can’t have any mercy for those individuals.”

There is a Republican-led bill to do that in the Ohio Statehouse; it awaits its first hearing.

When it comes to other gun proposals that advocates call “common sense,” DeWine was not as sure in his support. When asked about universal background checks, he said, “We have background checks now.” When asked if that is true for all cases, he said his support for legislation to enact universal backgrounds depends on the bill.

 “I would have to look at what the particular bill says and see whether or not I felt it would do a good job and whether I felt it would be constitutional,” DeWine said. “I don’t generally talk in generalities.” 

There are at least a dozen gun-related bills that NBC4 has reported on in the Ohio Statehouse.

Trump Verdict

Last week, former President Donald Trump was found guilty on 34 criminal charges by a jury of his peers.

Last week when NBC4 asked the governor’s team for a statement about the verdict, we were told he has no comment. On Monday, the governor said the same.

Trump won Ohio in both 2016 and 2020 by more than eight points, and he still has a considerable pull, in some of Ohio’s Republican races. For example, the candidate who Trump endorsed in 2022 and in 2024 in the state’s U.S. Senate primary won both times.

DeWine has parted with Trump in some areas by doing things like endorsing a different candidate in the Republican U.S. Senate primary, and differed in his response to the COVID-19 pandemic, by being one of the first governors to shut down their state.

Despite some of their differing views, and despite Trump likely appearing on the ballot as a felon come November, DeWine said he thinks Trump has Ohio locked down.

“I think that Donald Trump is going to win Ohio,” DeWine said. “Every poll certainly indicates that. He carried Ohio 2 times by 8 percentage points. I don’t see that that is going to change. I think he’s going to carry Ohio again.”

Marijuana/Delta-8

Recreational marijuana sales could start as soon as mid-June, but DeWine said there is still work to be done.

“I don’t think anybody went to the ballot box, or very few people went to the ballot box and said, ‘I’m going to go vote for that and I think it’s a great idea that if I walk downtown in Xenia, Ohio, or if I walk downtown in Columbus, Ohio, and my child has to go through a bunch of marijuana smoke,’” DeWine said. “I don’t think that’s great idea. There has to be some limits of where people can use this and that’s all we’re trying to do and trying to get the legislature to do.”

DeWine also wants to ensure that advertising and packaging are not targeted towards children.

DeWine is also urging the legislature to act on Delta-8, which is a low-level THC. As things stand, there is no age restriction and the products can be bought at convenience stores and gas stations. DeWine wants that to change.

“It has the same reaction and has the same impact in regard to marijuana and it’s something that they shouldn’t be able to sell to a young person,” DeWine said. “This is not hard; the legislature can change this and again I’m asking them to take action to do that.”

There is a bill to require that Delta-8 products be sold in dispensaries; it has yet to have its first hearing.