Ohio citizens can now carry concealed firearms without needing a permit.
Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law on Monday a bill that makes concealed carry permits optional in Ohio.
The law, known as a “constitutional carry” law, allows citizens to bear concealed firearms without having training or a permit. They are required by law to inform the police that they are carrying a weapon if asked.
Law enforcement agencies such as the Ohio Fraternal Order of Police expressed concerns about the change in gun ownership law.
“[The ‘constitutional carry’ law] isn’t putting public safety first, and it’s not putting public safety officers first,” OFOP President Gary Wolske wrote in a December 2021 op-ed criticizing the bill.
DeWine’s legacy on firearms has been mixed. The Ohio governor passed a “Stand Your Ground” bill in January, which removed the requirement for a person to retreat before he or she could shoot someone in self-defense. However, he has also cooperated with lawmakers to incorporate gun reform policies. DeWine stood alongside Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley in 2019 after a 24-year-old shot and killed nine people at a bar, with the pair proposing a series of gun reforms. Those reforms struggled to pass amid the Republican-controlled House and Senate.
DeWine faces competition from several competitors in the Ohio gubernatorial primary who are considered more pro-Second Amendment. When asked if the forthcoming May primary was a motive in passing the bill, lawmakers dismissed the notion.
“The Legislature does what it deems good public policy, so that’s our focus,” Ohio House Speaker Bob Cupp told the Statehouse News Bureau.
Twenty-one states allow concealed carry without permits, according to the United States Concealed Carry Association.
The bill will go into effect in 90 days.
