Senate passes gun bill after one change

Lawmakers delete concealed-carry reciprocity with other states

By The Columbus Dispatch  • 

Lawmakers gave final approval to a bill changing how people can carry ammunition clips in their vehicles and allowing drivers to bring guns to the Statehouse and Riffe Center parking garages.

But before the Senate passed House Bill 495, it stripped from the bill a provision that would have automatically required Ohio to recognize concealed-carry licenses from other states.

Law-enforcement officials had expressed significant concerns about the unlimited reciprocity provision, arguing it would allow people to carry guns in Ohio who have gone through less training and less-rigorous background checks than is required for Ohio concealed-carry licensees.

The Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio also noted that the bill would have allowed someone who did not qualify for a concealed-carry license in Ohio to simply go to a neighboring state with less-restrictive requirements.

Sen. Bill Seitz, R-Cincinnati, acknowledged that was a fair concern, and he successfully had the reciprocity provision removed from the bill. Both he and Sen. Larry Obhof Jr., R-Montville Township, said they will continue working on the provision next year with law enforcement.

“This is a provision we need to act upon, but we need to do it right,” he said.

In addition, the bill would allow people without concealed-carry licenses to carry loaded ammunition clips in their vehicles, so long as they are stored in a compartment separate from the unloaded gun.

It also would allow people to bring their guns to the Statehouse or the Riffe Center parking garages on Capitol Square, as long as the guns remain in their vehicles. Senate Minority Leader Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, questioned why this was necessary.

Supporters have said that when members go hunting or shooting prior to coming to the Statehouse, they should not have to first take their guns home.

The bill, pushed by the National Rifle Association and other Ohio pro-gun groups, also says that a concealed-carry licensee no longer has to demonstrate range competency when renewing the license for a second time. Supporters said the requirement is vague and unnecessary.