gun
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 […]
2021 saw record fatal ODs, gun deaths, car crashes in Ohio over 15 years, data shows
Last year saw the highest numbers of fatal overdoses, gun deaths, homicides, and motor vehicle fatalities among Ohioans over the last 15 years, according to data from the state health department. It was also the third-worst year on record for suicide deaths of Ohioans, just off the high mark set in 2018. Taken together, the […]
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 […]
Ohio’s response to Uvalde? Armed teachers and $117 million
Responding to a spate of gun violence in American schools and communities, Ohio Republicans have offered a two-pronged approach: guns and money. Last week, Republican state lawmakers passed legislation that will allow local boards of education to allow teachers to carry a firearm. Up to 24 hours of training must be required, but a board […]
After Uvalde massacre, Ohio GOP hurtles toward arming state’s teachers
The Ohio Senate advanced fast-tracked legislation Tuesday that would allow local boards of education to permit teachers to carry guns in classrooms. Passage would eviscerate current law in Ohio that allows teachers to arm themselves only after completing more than 700 hours of police training and receiving approval from their local school board. Under House […]
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. […]
Legislature passes permitless concealed carry; bill goes to DeWine
Republicans in both chambers of the Ohio General Assembly passed legislation Wednesday removing permitting, training, and background check requirements to carry a concealed weapon. Senate Bill 215 now goes to GOP Gov. Mike DeWine, who can sign it into law or veto the legislation. It passed 57-35 in the House on Wednesday, mostly along party […]
House to vote on removing training, background check requirements for concealed carry
The Ohio House will vote Wednesday, once again, on legislation to remove training and permitting requirements to carry a concealed handgun in the state. House Speaker Bob Cupp, R-Lima, said the legislation, which a House committee passed out on Tuesday, will be up for a passage vote at a floor session Wednesday afternoon. Because the […]
Ohio gun deaths in 2021 near an all time high
More Ohioans died from firearms in 2021 than almost any year on record, according to preliminary data from the Ohio Department of Health. With more data set to come in over the next several months, at least 1,762 Ohioans died from firearms last year, just two shy of the record-setting year of 2020. This amounts […]