Ohio Governor Eliminates Conceal Carry Gun Permits
Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed into law Bill 215, letting Ohio residents 21 and older conceal firearms they are legally allowed to own without training or permits and removing the legal requirement for gun owners to tell police they are armed when stopped,
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Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has signed into law Bill 215 letting Ohio residents 21 and older conceal firearms they are legally allowed to own without training or permits, and removing the legal requirement for gun owners to tell police they are armed when stopped, reports the Columbus Dispatch. The law was passed despite objections from law enforcement groups, county sheriffs and Democrats who worried that taking away training requirements would make communities less safe. Ohio law currently requires conceal carry permit holders to attend eight hours of training, which includes two hours spent at a gun range firing a weapon.
Those permits will still be available for people who want to carry across certain state lines, but they will be optional for those carrying across Ohio. Republicans and the firearms lobby say this issue is less about meeting a training minimum and more about not constraining the right to bear arms. The Ohio Mayors Alliance and the Ohio Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association both called on the governor to veto the bill. Gun rights supporters called it a “historic” day. “This is a great moment for Ohio and for those who wish to more fully exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms,” said Buckeye Firearms Association Director Dean Rieck. Additional reading: Rising Gun Violence Threatens Democracy, Warns Researcher.
