CLEVELAND, Ohio – On the same day as a mass shooting that killed nine and injured dozens more in Dayton, former Ohio Gov. John Kasich appeared on CNN’s “State of the Union” show and expressed frustration at not getting gun-control legislation passed through the Ohio Statehouse.

Kasich said that after the 2017 Las Vegas mass shooting that left 58 people dead, he tried to pass “reasonable gun control measures” in Ohio.

“I had to do most of them by executive order because I couldn’t get any of it through the legislature, including a simple thing like a red flag law,” Kasich said. “Now I hear all this ‘thoughts and prayers.’ I mean, I can pray with the best of them, but you know, prayer without action doesn’t matter.”

The proposals were a departure from Kasich’s past positions. The NRA endorsed him during his 2014 campaign for governor, and he had previously signed every bill expanding access to guns in Ohio.

On Sunday, Kasich praised the students who marched nationwide following the school shooting in Parkland, Florida.

“The fact of the matter it is, it is outrageous for the politicians to just sit back and hope this will go away,” he said. “Florida had no interest whatsoever in passing any kind of gun control legislation until those incredibly brave students demanded it. And the people of the state demanded it. So you want to get gun control legislation, begin to march for it and you will get it.”

Kasich said politicians who are afraid of gun owners are the reason why gun-control legislation doesn’t get passed nationwide, including Ohio. He implored Ohio politicians and citizens to work toward gun control.

“I call on Ohioans, Ohio legislators, the governor, all of them, pass the red flag law. Do something now,” he said. “. . .Search yourself. Look in the mirror. Stand up. Do something. Please, do something.”

The “reasonable” reforms that Kasich proposed in 2018 included tightening background checks for gun buyers and a “red flag” law allowing family members and friends to petition a court to remove firearms from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

But the proposals stalled in the Ohio legislature, which ended up overriding a Kasich veto to pass a “stand your ground” bill that shifts the burden of proof in self-defense cases from the shooter to prosecutors.