firearms
Opponents question harsher sentences for illegal gun possession in Ohio
An Ohio House measure aimed at increasing penalties for those who have a gun illegally is advancing in committee. But its opponents argue it won’t change the problems it sets out to fix. Ohio state Rep. Kyle Koehler’s HB 383 raises the penalty for illegally possessing a weapon from a third-degree to a second-degree felony […]
Ohio Democratic lawmakers push bill to reestablish local control on gun violence protection
Ohio Democratic lawmakers are pushing to reestablish local control over gun regulation as well as repeal so-called ‘stand your ground’ in Ohio, though neither bill is likely to become law considering Republican supermajorities. The two new Democrat-led bills hope to address gun violence happening in urban centers. With Republican supermajorities in the legislature, and bigger […]
Weaker concealed carry laws linked to increase in gun crimes, study shows
Weakened concealed carry laws are associated with an estimated 9.5% increase in rates of criminal assaults with firearms, according to research published last week. That relationship is most pronounced in places that allow people convicted of violent misdemeanor crimes to carry a concealed firearm. Those states are associated with an estimated 24% increase in assaults […]
Supreme Court to rule on whether those accused of crimes can carry guns
The Ohio Supreme Court will soon decide whether to overturn a state law that prohibits people accused of violent crimes from possessing guns. In 2017, authorities indicted a man named Delvonte Philpotts on accusations of rape, kidnapping and assault. While released on bond, Philpotts posted several photos on social media depicting himself carrying and wielding […]
DeWine signs bill allowing for armed teachers: ‘This is a local choice’
Gov. Mike DeWine signed legislation Monday that could allow teachers to carry firearms in the classroom. House Bill 99 grants local boards of education authority to decide whether to allow their teachers and school workers to carry firearms. Whether the bill establishes a quantitative legal minimum has been disputed. However, it says local school boards […]
Columbus mulls new strategy to limit gun violence. Could it work?
In defiance of a gun loving state legislature, the city of Columbus is mulling a novel legal strategy: treating gun violence as a public nuisance. Rather than passing a local law restricting gun access that would likely be struck down in court, Columbus officials indicated they want to instead invoke a state law that says […]
DOJ rule cracks down untraceable firearms known as ‘ghost guns’
President Joe Biden Monday unveiled the Department of Justice’s plan to regulate untraceable firearms known as ghost guns, as well as announced his nominee to lead the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. The Department of Justice’s final rule bans the business of manufacturing ghost guns, such as “buy build shoot” kits that can be […]
DeWine signs law removing training, background check, permitting requirement to conceal carry
Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law Monday removing training, background check and permitting requirements to carry a concealed weapon in Ohio. When the law takes effect in 90 days, all Ohioans aged 21 and older who are lawfully allowed to possess a weapon will be able to carry it concealed on their persons. […]
Gun lobbyist wrote GOP lawmakers’ ‘permitless carry’ speech, document data shows
Last April, two Republicans in the Ohio House told lawmakers their “constitutional carry” bill would ease the bureaucratic hassle of undergoing training and a background check to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon. They didn’t write the speech. Chris Dorr, the “no compromise” gun lobbyist and executive director of Ohio Gun Owners, did. […]
Concealed carry expansion bill nears final vote; other gun bills advance
The state House is teeing up a final passage vote on legislation to remove training and background check requirements to carry a concealed firearm in Ohio. Meanwhile, lawmakers inched forward on a bill to relax penalties for people carrying concealed weapons in prohibited places, and another restricting how local police can limit firearms sales or […]
Senate committee votes to scrap training, background checks for concealed carry permits
The hearing began with a moment of silence to commemorate the ninth anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School Shooting, in which a young man shot and killed 20 children and six adults. It ended with Republicans on the Veterans and Public Safety Committee voting to send to the Senate floor legislation to remove training […]
House committee passes bill allowing for concealed carry of guns without training
An Ohio House committee passed legislation Thursday that would allow most Ohioans who are 21 years of age and up to lawfully carry a concealed firearm. Current law allows Ohioans to carry concealed weapons after completing eight hours of training and submitting an application to their county sheriff, who conducts a background check. House Bill […]