Two Republican legislators propose eliminating the license required to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio, a change one describes as an effort to put Second Amendment rights on the same footing as others in the Bill of Rights.
The bill, introduced Wednesday by Reps. Ron Hood of Ashville and Matt Lynch of Bainbridge Township in Geauga County, would allow any person who is at least 21 years old to carry a concealed firearm, so long as they are not legally prohibited for some reason from having guns.
“The person’s right to carry a concealed firearm … that is granted under this division is the same right as is granted to a person who was issued a concealed handgun license,” the bill says.
Lynch described it as the “constitutional carry bill.”
The change would leave in place other restrictions, Lynch said. Bans on carrying firearms in some buildings, for example, would still be allowed. But it would eliminate several steps people who wish to carry a concealed weapon now must take before they can legally do so.
As part of the process for getting the concealed carry license, applicants are fingerprinted and put through criminal and mental competency background checks. They also must show certification of firearms competency, obtained through firearms or peace officer training.
Lynch said the bill is an effort to treat the right to bear arms in the Second Amendment with the same freedom as other rights.
House Speaker William G. Batchelder, a Medina Republican, has not seen the bill and as such not taken any position on it, said Mike Dittoe, spokesman for the House Republican caucus. With the House not scheduled to have any sessions the remainder of this year, it will be January before the bill is assigned to a committee for hearings.
Click here to read more of this story.
About Marion Online News
