Advertisement Fifth Third shooting survivor advocates for red flag law in Ohio Share Shares Copy Link Copy

A survivor of the Fifth Third shooting on Fountain Square is taking her case to Capitol Hill. Whitney Austin traveled to Washington last week for a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on red flag laws.There is now a bipartisan push to keep guns out of the hands of the mentally ill.Austin is seen smiling in photos in the nation's capital just six months after she was shot 12 times in downtown Cincinnati.Austin, in her words, was "thrilled" to witness hours of testimony on Extreme Risk Protection Orders, or red flag laws. "Allow law enforcement, and sometimes family members, to go to a court and say, 'This person needs some help and we need to stop violence before it occurs,'" said South Carolina Sen. Lindsey Graham.Graham addressed the hearing room, saying lawmakers should consider federal incentives for states looking to pass red flag laws."I'm a big fan of the Second Amendment. I own firearms and I try to be responsible in my ownership, but at the same time every right has limits," said Graham.Graham stresses in these cases there is due process to remove guns from people who shouldn't have them.Austin said these laws provide a "clear path" to remove firearms to prevent injury or death.Cincinnati Mayor John Cranley agreed. "Red flag laws are critical to stop mass shootings and to stop mentally ill individuals who have a propensity to violence to have guns and cause violence," said CranleyOhio doesn't have such a law.Cincinnati lawmakers don't have the power to enact one on a local level, but it could have made a difference when a shooter walked into the Fifth Third building last September. "In similar type cases, red flag laws could have prevented what happened on Fountain Square. Because the shooter's parents tried to get him institutionalized in Florida years ago, and that tells you he's exactly the kind of person that red flag laws should be in place to stop from getting guns," said Cranley. Austin said in a statement:"We want this law in OH and Whitney/Strong is dedicated to taking the steps necessary to bring it to fruition."Gov. Mike Dewine's office did not return request for comment.