- Published: 03 March 2022
BREAKING NEWS: Constitutional/Permitless Carry Bill Passed by Ohio House and Senate, Now Headed to Governor’s Desk!
On Wednesday, March 2, 2022, the Ohio House voted 57-35 to pass Senate Bill 215, sponsored by Sen. Terry Johnson. Subsequently, the Senate concurred with a vote of 24-8. Now the bill goes to Governor DeWine for his signature!
The bill makes it legal to carry a concealed handgun without a permit or license in Ohio. It also changes the notification requirement so that a person must notify law enforcement officers about carrying a firearm only if the officer asks. It also changes failure to notify from a Misdemeanor 1 to a Misdemeanor 2.
If the Governor signs this bill, the law will take effect in about 90 days! Of course, Governor DeWine may choose to let the bill become law without his signature or may veto the bill. This last option seems very unlikely.
Ohioans for Concealed Carry has been working toward this goal since we were founded in 1999. Back when we started, Constitutional or Permitless Carry was known as Vermont Carry because Vermont was the only state to allow concealed carry of a firearm without a permit or license. In almost every legislative session, bills have been introduced with none making past the hearing stage. When this becomes law, Ohio will be the 22nd state to allow law-abiding citizens to carry without permission from the state. Thousands of man hours and hundreds of meetings with legislators and testimonies given by OFCC volunteers have helped lead to this historic moment.
It should be noted that several last minute amendments were added to the bill so that the bill is overly complicated and remains less than perfect. Despite being a huge step forward, there remains work to be done. OFCC remains committed to fighting bad gun laws at all levels of government and supporting the rights all law-abiding gun owners.
