Ohio Governor DeWine Signs BFA-Supported Permitless Carry Bill

At approximately 4:50 p.m. on Monday, March 14, 2022, Gov. Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 215, which will make it legal to carry a concealed handgun without a license in Ohio 91 days after signing.

"This is a day that will go down in history," said Dean Rieck, Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association. "It has been about 18 years since Ohio enacted HB 12 to bring licensed concealed carry to the state.

"However, the brass ring has always been to eliminate the licensing mandate, which people refer to as permitless carry or Constitutional Carry. And now, finally, that day is here. This is a great moment for Ohio and for those who wish to more fully exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms.

"Gov. DeWine made a campaign promise to Buckeye Firearms Association and to Ohio's 4 million gun owners that he would sign a Constitutional Carry bill if it was put on his desk. And he has fulfilled his promise."

SB 215 makes several important changes to Ohio's concealed carry laws:

• Obtaining a concealed handgun license will become optional, so if you are able to legally carry a concealed handgun with a license, you will also be able to carry without a license. The same rights and responsibilities apply in either case.
• You will no longer have the duty to "promptly" notify every law enforcement officer during an official stop. Instead, you must disclose that you are carrying a concealed handgun only when an officer asks, unless you have already notified another officer.
• If you choose to obtain a concealed handgun license, you will no longer be required to carry the license on your person.

Here are two references for further details on this new law:

• Text of the act as enrolled
• Summary and analysis by the Ohio Legislative Services Commission

It is important to note that SB 215 will not eliminate or change the current Ohio licensing system. Those who wish to obtain a license for carrying a concealed handgun in Ohio or in other states with reciprocity agreements may continue to do so.

In addition, whether you choose to carry with or without going through the licensing process, you must still be a qualifying adult, such as being at least 21 years of age, not prohibited from possessing a firearm under state or federal law, not a fugitive from justice, etc. Refer to the links above or the Attorney General's booklet on concealed carry.

In addition to permitless carry, the numerous legal and legislative accomplishments of Buckeye Firearms Association over the last 20 years include "preemption" to establish one set of state-level gun laws and prohibit the passage of a patchwork of local gun control laws, closing the media loophole to prevent journalist access to lists of concealed handgun license-holders, enacting castle doctrine in homes and cars to provide an initial presumption that you may act in self-defense, shifting the burden of proof to the state in self-defense cases, enacting "stand your ground" to repeal the duty to retreat, successfully suing cities such as Columbus and Cincinnati to reverse illegal gun control ordinances, and submitting amicus briefs in the landmark U.S. Supreme Court cases of D.C. v. Heller and McDonald v. Chicago.

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