By: Jacob Kessler
On March 14th, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill 215 into law. The bill had passed through both the Ohio Senate and the House, as well as their respective committees before being passed by each.
Originally sponsored by Senator Johnson, the bill quickly came under attack from some, and gained support from others.
SB 215 removes the need for citizens to receive training and go through a background check in order to carry their hand gun in the state.
CCW permits will no longer be required in order to carry in Ohio with it now being designated a Constitutional Carry State.
The bill also changes the requirement for those carrying weapons to alert police officers that they are carrying during interactions with them.
It is important to note however that you must respond when asked by a law enforcement officer if you are carrying a weapon.
The law change will take effect 90 days after it was signed, with that date being June 13th, 2022.
Local Williams & Fulton County Sheriffs work every day with their deputies to protect everyone in their counties.
This is true in numerous ways including through education. When asked about their feelings for the bill their response was the following.
Williams County Sheriff Kochert – “This idea of constitutional carry is indeed a “black and white issue for me as Sheriff of Williams County.”
“It stands to reason that as a Sheriff, constitutional protections are at the forefront of my duties. Ensuring the rights of the citizens in my jurisdiction to lawfully carry a firearm is an inherent right, afforded by the second amendment.”
“It is my opinion that the framers of that document placed the right to keep and bear arms in second place because of their knowledge that the rights afforded in the first had to be protected.”
“It is also my humble opinion that folks who very zealously place qualities of independent action upon an intangible object, without mention of the need for human intervention, are not logically assessing the situation at hand. In other words, people kill people, not guns.”
“The argument that this bill, SB215, will allow “criminals” to now carry firearms, or increase the likelihood of that occurring, I believe is false.”
“Those who would break the law, deal drugs, harm others maliciously, or in any way place themselves in the definition of criminal are not going to start carrying a gun simply because the law now says they can. They already are.”
“Prudent, reasonable, law-abiding folks are the ones who strive to follow the law, educate themselves, and carry responsibly, either with or without a CCW permit.”
“Countless hunters have to attend a hunter education course before purchasing a license, and that course is all about firearm safety and training.”
“I feel that although you now have the right to carry without a permit, a CCW permit is still in your best interest. 1.) Any training and education you give yourself on the topic only increases your credibility with the courts and the legal system if you ever have to use it, and 2.) If you travel through another State, like Michigan, you’re going to need a CCW permit.”
“Many states honor Ohio’s CCW permit, but far fewer honor the Constitutional carry standard. If you have a firearm, in a State that requires a permit, and all you have is Ohio’s constitutional carry provision, you now have an issue.”
“I support the bill, no question, but my job is to keep the public safe. This requires not just ensuring safety from firearm crime but keeping those who lawfully carry safe from inadvertently becoming a “criminal” from illegal carry to another State.”
“Read up on the law, check our FB page for details of it, and carry responsibly. Please show courtesy to Law Enforcement if asked about your firearm carry status, and as always, be safe in the handling of it.”
Fulton County Sheriff Miller – “There were some concerns from some, not all, law enforcement agencies in Ohio.”
“As Sheriff here in Fulton County, I fully support the 2nd amendment, but when laws change one should educate themselves on it. People will still need a permit to carry outside the State of Ohio.”
“Since we are so close to Michigan and Indiana, people who want to carry need to understand that they will still need a permit, even if Ohio is a constitutional carry state as of June 13, 2022.”
“There are still going to be the no carry zones, and if a business has a sign posted no weapons, then one must not carry inside the store.”
“One question I have been receiving is this. Will the Sheriff’s Office stop issuing permits? We have not heard anything that would lead us to believe permits will not be available in the future.
“Rifles, shotguns and long guns will be transported the same as always, nothing has changed.”
“The duty to tell a police officer you are carrying has changed, when the Officer/Deputy asks, you must tell. You do not have to disclose when first approached on a traffic stop.”
“If you’re asked and don’t tell and police find out you are, they can charge you. Training, this is one of my biggest concerns.”
“Not sure why someone would not want to take a class on proper handling of a firearm, proper shooting techniques, liability of owning and using a firearm. By law, I had to take a Hunter Education class in order to get a hunting license.”
“They talked a lot about firearm safety in this class. Thankfully we don’t have every day shootings in the four-county area, but we have more accidental shootings than intentional ones.”
“I encourage people to still take some sort of a class and go to the range and practice using the safety techniques learned. As Sheriffs, we want to keep everyone safe. I can’t emphasize enough on safety and knowing the laws IN THE STATE you will be traveling in/through.”
Safety is above all the most important take away. This is obtained through training and education.
While the duty to obtain this training and education may no longer be there, many across the state hope that everyone will continue to work towards gun safety.
Jacob can be reached at jacob@thevillagereporter.com
