Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed legislation which will allow Buckeye State citizens to carry without a permit beginning June 12, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
Senate Bill 215 was approved 24-9 in the state Senate and 58-36 in the House.
According to the Columbus Dispatch, under the law Ohio residents age 21 and older can begin concealed carrying firearms without a permit or training. Permits will still be available so Ohioans can carry in other states with reciprocity laws.
DeWine’s signature makes Ohio the 23rd state with permitless carry. As reported earlier, Alabama is also joining the ranks starting Jan. 1, 2023.
According to the Dispatch, Buckeye Firearms Association Director Dean Rieck issued a statement declaring, “This is a day that will go down in history… This is a great moment for Ohio and for those who wish to more fully exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.”
Typically, opponents predicted the state will be less safe with more citizens able to carry firearms. One outspoken critic of the law is Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey. She considers it “a fantasy” to think untrained private citizens carrying defensive sidearms without a permit will make the state safer.
But the Dispatch also said “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 newspaper quoted Rep. Shane Wilkin (R-Hillsboro) saying the new law will protect Ohio gun owners from “intrusive government overreach.”
The new legislation spans 31 pages.
This has been a busy year for gun legislation, both pro and con. While Alabama and Ohio have now adopted constitutional carry measures, out in Washington, the Democrat-controlled Legislature passed a bill limiting magazine capacity to 10 rounds. The legislation does not ban such magazines already in private possession—gun rights activists predict that will come later—but it does not allow future manufacture or sale of larger capacity magazines.
