Ohio lawmakers approve suppressors for hunting, concealed carry changes

State lawmakers gave final approval Wednesday to legislation to loosen state regulations for concealed-handgun licenses and allow hunters to use gun silencers.

Under House Bill 234, the number of training hours needed to obtain a concealed-handgun license would be reduced from 12 to 8. At least two of those hours would have to consist of in-person training; the remainder could be done either in-person or online.

The Ohio House voted 69-16 to concur with the concealed-handgun changes, which were added Tuesday by the state Senate. The measure now heads to Gov. John Kasich’s desk for his signature.

Other parts of the bill would:

• Scrap a rule that a concealed-handgun license applicant must be an Ohio resident for at least 45 days and a resident of the county for at least 30 days;
• Automatically recognize concealed handgun licenses issued by any state that recognizes Ohio’s licenses and has similar license standards. Currently, such reciprocity only happens when the attorney general enters into a written agreement with another state;
• Make Ohio compliant with the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, so anyone with a state handgun license doesn’t have to get an NICS check when they purchase a firearm;
• Prohibit concealed weapons licenses from being issued to people who hold a nonimmigrant visa, domestic-violence offenders, or who have been dishonorably discharged from the U.S. military; and
• Establish a six-month grace period to renew a concealed handgun license for members of the military, AmeriCorps, or the U.S. Foreign Service — as well as their immediate family members.

Proponents of the bill said the changes will make it easier for law-abiding citizens to bear arms and bolster proper safeguards.

Gun-control advocates, however, said the changes would threaten public safety, as it would allow more people to carry concealed weapons in Ohio.

The legislation would also make Ohio the 29th state to allow hunters to use noise suppressors, which can lower the sound of a gunshot by about 15-20 decibels. The devices would primarily be used while hunting varmint animals, such as groundhogs, according to hunting advocates.

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