Cleveland police union calls for open-carry ban during Republican convention
With an attack on police in Baton Rouge Sunday leaving three officers dead, Cleveland's police union is calling on Ohio Gov. John Kasich to temporarily ban the open-carry of weapons in the city during the Republican convention this week.
"Somebody in this country has got to stand up and support the police officers," Loomis told CBS News.
Ohio is an open-carry state, meaning legal gun owners can carry certain types of firearms in plain sight. Per the U.S. Secret Service's guidelines, guns are not allowed in the venue for the convention itself, but they are allowed in the surrounding areas.
Kasich spokeswoman Emmalee Kalmbach said Sunday afternoon that the governor of Ohio does not actually have the legal ability to suspend state laws in the way Loomis and the police union are asking for.
"Law enforcement is a noble, essential calling and we all grieve that we've again seen attacks on officers," Kalmbach said. "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."
CBS News' Jacqueline Alemany contributed to this story.
