Ohio will be a constitutional carry state starting Monday

MARIETTA, Ohio. (WTAP) - Starting on Monday, Ohio will officially be a constitutional carry state. WTAP has the basics of what you need to know about Senate Bill 215.

Being a constitutional carry state means that people are allowed to carry a concealed handgun without a license. However this doesn’t mean just anyone can carry a handgun. You still have to be 21 years or older among other requirements. AKA, if it was illegal for you to obtain a concealed carry license before, it’s still illegal for you to conceal carry now.

Plus, you still can’t take a concealed handgun where firearms are forbidden.

Washington County Sheriff’s Department’s Chief Deputy Mark Warden elaborated, “Those areas that are off limits are still off limits. The courthouse, for example, is off limits. And also small business owners - business owners can still mandate that no firearms are on the property.”

While concealed carry for handguns may become legal in Ohio, being an Ohio resident doesn’t exempt you from other states’ laws when traveling.

Warden explained, “..., if I’m a qualifying adult and I’m 21 years of age or older and I am constitutional carrying in the state of Ohio and I want to travel to Florida, there might be a state between here and Florida that don’t recognize constitutional carry so therefore I would be breaking a law in that state. If I’m stopped, you know, I could face criminal charges. "

Constitutional carry will also change how concealed handgun carriers are required to act with law enforcement.

“The individual does not have to let the officer know that they’re carrying concealed. However, if the officer asks them, they are mandated to tell them,” Warden said.

While getting licensed is no longer a requirement, Warden said it’s important to educate yourself on how your gun works and how the law works.

“It’s important that individuals who are watching this educate themselves on that Senate Bill 215 then even go a little bit farther and look at the subsections that they put in that, you know, to educate themselves….because there are some really minute definitions in there on what you can and cannot do.”

To read the entire bill, click on the following link...

https://search-prod.lis.state.oh.us/solarapi/v1/general_assembly_134/bills/sb215/EN/05/sb215_05_EN?format=pdf

To see what the Washington County Sheriff’s Department is highlighting about the bill, click on the following link...

https://washingtoncountysheriff.org/2022/06/10/press-releases/constitutional-carry-laws/

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