Carrying guns concealed without a license now has support from both sides of Ohio legislature

The Ohio Senate passed its own version of a bill Wednesday that would allow for Ohioans to conceal carry without the need for a license, a signal that both chambers of the Ohio legislature are in favor of what is known as “Constitutional carry.”

The vote was 23-8 in support of Senate Bill 215.

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“It shows that there is support in the legislature to get this done,” said Sen. Niraj Antani (R-Dayton).  “It is I think notable that for the first time in Ohio history this bill, a version of it, has passed both chambers.”

In mid-November the Ohio House passed its version of the CCW bill in a 60-32 vote.

“This bill is effectively the same as the House version of the bill,” Antani said. “The Constitution does not require you to get a license.  It is your Constitutional right.”

State Rep. Bride Rose Sweeney (D-Cleveland) has been an opponent of the House version of the bill, saying the current requirement for concealed carry are the bare minimum and not overly burdensome, according to a report from the Columbus Dispatch.

“Now you have a scenario where you walk up to a car where a guy doesn’t tell you and this guy shifts in his seat and you see his gun, it makes the dynamics of the traffic stop that much different,” Weinman told the Dispatch.

The Buckeye Firearms Association has said it is in support of the bill.

“Ohio is far behind other states in recognizing Ohioans’ right to freely carry firearms without a burdensome licensing process,” said Dean Rieck, Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association. “There is no other Constitutional right where we tolerate so many barriers. In 21 other states, no licensing is required. It is time for Constitutional Carry in Ohio.”

Either the House version or Senate version of the bill will now need to be voted on by the opposite chamber of the legislature before it could potentially go to the Governor for his signature.

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