Three Democratic Ohio State Senators announced Wednesday that they will reintroduce six commonsense gun reform bills soon.

Senators Cecil Thomas(D-Avondale), Hearcel F. Craig (D-Columbus) and Sandra R. Williams (D-Cleveland) introduced the bills saying they will help keep guns out of the hands of dangerous people.

The bills address several safety measures including mandating universal background checks on firearm transfers, raising the minimum age to purchase guns from 18 to 21 for all guns, temporarily removing firearms from people that show signs of being a danger to themselves or others, and closing the gun show loophole by mandating background checks on gun show sales, among other measures.

The reintroduction of the bills come after a statewide increase in gun violence in the last year.

According to the Office of Criminal Justice in the Ohio Department of Public Safety, gun violence crimes increased by 17% in the first half of 2020 compared to the previous year in Ohio's eight biggest cities.

Murders by firearms in the state also increased by 27% during that period.

"The majority of Ohioans have called on lawmakers to pass tighter gun safety measures," said Senator Thomas. "Clearly, loosening the laws we have does not make Ohioans safer. The General Assembly cannot waste any more time ignoring Ohioans' demands while gun crimes continue to increase across our state."

"Especially during the pandemic, when we have witnessed increases in violence and people experiencing mental health crises, it's obvious that it is past time for the legislature to act and support gun legislation that will keep Ohioans safe," said Senator Williams. "These commonsense measures are long overdue to stop the violence in our communities."