Ohio House Republicans introduced a bill Wednesday to bring constitutional carry to the state, which allows gun owners to carry concealed weapons without obtaining a permit.
The bill, House Bill 174, was introduced by Reps. Ron Hood (R-Ashville) and Tom Brinkman (R-Mt. Lookout) and quickly gained the support of 27 other Republicans. Current Ohio law allows Ohioans to carry concealed weapons only after they obtain a permit from a county sheriff’s office, pass a criminal background check, and complete eight hours of training.
House Bill 174 would change all of that. It states that anyone 21 or older “and not prohibited by federal law from firearm possession to carry a concealed deadly weapon” would be able to do so “without needing a license.”
In its current form, the bill would take things one step further by allowing Ohioans to conceal and carry legal rifles and shotguns.
Ohio Gun Owners Director Chris Dorr spoke with Hood and Brinkman shortly after their bill was introduced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=8&v=Zu5ewRRJSWw
“What’s so exciting is we now have an opportunity to actually pass a bill now with West Virginia and Kentucky going constitutional carry. We’ve got over a dozen states going constitutional carry,” Hood said. “Legislators and their constituents are realizing that it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to ask a criminal to go through a background check. Criminals don’t go through background checks.”
His point was that criminals aren’t going to willingly submit themselves to a background check, arguing that background checks provide citizens with “a false sense of security.”
“Gun owners are law abiding citizens who follow the rules, and we need to let them be able to protect themselves,” Brinkman added.
Hood and Brinkman have introduced similar bills before, but this time they have the support of the governor.
“Gov. [Mike] DeWine supports protecting Ohioans’ Second Amendment rights. We are reviewing the recently introduced proposal, and look forward to following its movement through the legislative process,” DeWine’s office told The Columbus Dispatch.
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Anthony Gockowski is managing editor of Battleground State News, The Ohio Star, and The Minnesota Sun. Follow Anthony on Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “Ron Hood (Left)” and “Tom Brinkman (Right).”
Background Photo “Constitutional Carry Act” by Ohio Gun Owners.
