COLUMBUS, Ohio—Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday that his administration is drawing up “red-flag” legislation that would allow authorities to confiscate guns from those deemed to be a threat to themselves or others.

DeWine is taking up the banner for an issue unsuccessfully pushed by his predecessor, fellow Republican Gov. John Kasich, during the final months of his administration.

"I’ve challenged our team to come back with something in the area of red-flag legislation that can pass,” the governor told reporters Monday afternoon. But, he added, “We need to have something that can actually pass, so that’s certainly something that’s part of the criteria.”

Currently, Ohio law only permits a court to confiscate people’s firearms if a civil protection order is issued against them for domestic violence or fear of such violence. However, a handful of other states, including Indiana, have “red flag” laws in place that allow friends and family members to petition a court to remove firearms from people who pose a threat to themselves or others.

At first glance, it may be surprising that DeWine would back such a law, given his support for rolling back other gun-control laws and that he was endorsed in last year’s gubernatorial race by the National Rifle Association.

But on the campaign trail last year, DeWine told The Plain Dealer/cleveland.com editorial board that he would support a “red flag” law as long as there’s due process involved. That’s similar to the NRA’s position on the issue.

DeWine’s comments came two days after a high-profile shooting in a California synagogue.

After last year’s mass shooting at Parkland High School in Florida, Kasich urged state lawmakers to pass a number of gun-policy reforms, including a “red flag” law. But the Republican-dominated legislature ignored Kasich’s proposals and instead voted to loosen Ohio’s gun-control laws -- a move Kasich called “dirty, stinking politics.”

It remains to be seen whether state lawmakers will be more receptive to DeWine’s “red flag” proposal than they were to Kasich’s, though its chances of passage will likely be improved if it’s not bundled with a number of other proposed gun reforms.