COLUMBUS, Ohio — Two Republican lawmakers want to expand Ohio’s hate crime definition in response to the murders of political commentator Charlie Kirk and Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman.
“Political violence is unacceptable in all circumstances… ,” said Rep. Jack Daniels, a Summit County Republican. “This bill sends a clear message. Violence has no place in our politics.”
His bill, which he’s co-sponsoring with fellow GOP Rep. Josh Williams from Lucas County, would make politically motivated murders aggravated murders, punishable by life without parole and eligible for the death penalty.
Under Ohio law, aggravated murder applies in limited circumstances. It covers killings committed during another felony, such as kidnapping or rape, cases where the victim is under 13, or when it’s a law enforcement officer, first responder, or military member.
Daniels’ proposal would add elected officials to that list.
The bill would also create a “political motivation” specification that can be added to any violent felony, triggering both the maximum sentence for the underlying crime and a mandatory 10-year sentence on top of it.
The bill defined this as when “motivation for the killing is based on political affiliation, association, belief, or ideology, whether or not the offender was mistaken as to that motivation.”
Supporters say that language is meant to capture the kind of politically driven attacks seen in recent months.
Kirk was shot while speaking at a college in Utah earlier this month. Hortman, her husband and dog were shot and killed at their home on June 14.
“We must honor Charlie’s memory not with silence, but with action,” Williams, who is running for Congress, said in a statement. “Violence based on political beliefs is a direct threat to our democracy, and this legislation ensures that such violence is punished to the fullest extent of the law.”
The bill, which doesn’t have a number yet, says courts will determine whether a crime was politically motivated.