Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine isn’t what anyone would term a strong Second Amendment advocate. However, we can’t be too mad at him since he signed constitutional carry into law, so he can’t be all bad, now can he?

No, I’m not giving him a pass for trying to push gun control after the mass shooting in Dayton. I’m just saying that when it mattered, he stepped up and did what he needed to do.

Now, he’s speaking about the measure.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine is speaking for the first time about his decision to sign the “permitless carry” bill, Senate Bill 215.

The legislation will now allow Ohioans to legally carry a concealed firearm without a permit and has been opposed by activists and the state’s police union.

Gun advocates said the law protects Ohioans’ Constitutional rights, while opponents say it will lead to more gun violence in the state.

“About half the states now have this provision and this is consistent, I think, with the United States Constitution,” DeWine said during an event Wednesday morning.

…

“What we’re seeing in our cities, but not just cities, in communities across the state, is that the violence that is occurring is predominantly from people who have committed violence in the past,” DeWine said.

DeWine also urged lawmakers to pass a measure that would stiffen penalties on repeat gun offenders, a law that’s unlikely to do much of anything to law-abiding citizens but is still blaming the tool, not the tool using it.

However, the governor is absolutely correct that most of those committing violent crimes are people who have committed violent crimes before. They’re not new to this.

He’s also right with constitutional carry being consistent with the Constitution. I mean, there’s a reason we call it constitutional carry, after all.

The Second Amendment says the “right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.” While I don’t think “shall not be infringed” is a winning argument in most circumstances–not because it’s not correct, but because it’s preaching to the choir–here, it applies. The truth is any permitting requirement is an infringement on the right to keep and bear arms. It shouldn’t be difficult to see that, either.

Unfortunately, there are far too many people who don’t see the Second Amendment as a real right. They’ll push for restrictions they’d never tolerate on any of their rights.

They’ll claim that none of their other rights, the ones they actually use, are as dangerous as guns are.

Which is hilarious considering how many of them are also part of the “words are violence” camp, but suggest they should have to get a permit to log onto the internet and they’ll absolutely lose their minds.

I’ve given DeWine a fair bit of grief over the past few years. I still consider him pretty squishy when it comes to the Second Amendment. However, he signed a measure I still don’t think he necessarily wanted to sign, and it counts as a huge win for Ohio as a result.