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By Eric Nestor via wideopenspaces.com

It is now officially a law that you may bring your concealed carry into Ohio if you reside in another state. Here’s the official wordage, straight from the Ohio General Assembly Archives:

Provides that if a person who is not an Ohio resident and has a valid concealed handgun license from another state, regardless of whether the other state has entered into a reciprocity agreement with the Attorney General, and the person is temporarily in Ohio, that out-of-state license will be recognized in Ohio during the time that the person is temporarily in Ohio (R.C. 109.69(B)(3)).

This essentially means Ohio now welcomes the lawful concealed carry of visitors. “This is a very comprehensive bill,” said Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, to the Columbus Dispatch. “Over time, people will look back and see this as a watershed law that fixed a lot of little things.”

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70 COMMENTS

  1. and why not? All states with a CCW program have some basic stand that says you can’t be a criminal or otherwise prohibited person. Better skill training would be highly advised. But is it really necessary?

    • Are there any unpleasant ‘surprises’ in Ohio law that may prove problematic to those traveling through?

      • The biggest gotcha is that Ohio requires notification to law enforcement. There’s no exact wording, but it has to be “promptly”. I recommend it be the first thing you say (ex: “Officer I’m required to tell you that I have a license to carry and have a loaded firearm”.) Failure to do so (or to do so “promptly”) is a 1st degree misdemeanor, 1 step down from a felony, carrying the potential for up to 6 months in jail. If your car is stopped and multiple people are licensed and are carrying, they must all notify (promptly).

        Other than that, in Ohio your carry license is a concealed _handgun_ license. No loaded rifles in the car. No concealed knives (Ohio knife law sucks – basically unless it’s made by Victorinox or Wenger assume it’s a deadly weapon which cannot be concealed).

        If you don’t have a carry license it’s important to understand Ohio’s definition of “loaded”, which is basically no rounds in the gun or in a magazine, unless gun & magazine are in separate closed “containers” (they must close with a zipper, button, velcro, etc. – your center console doesn’t cut it if it just opens and closes w/o manipulating a catch).

        • Ohio is very friendly to open carry, so that’s an option for those with no permit whatsoever. But there is one exception to this, and that is that they regard the gun as concealed if you are wearing it in your car, so you have to unload it and put it into a container, then reload it when you get back out of the car.

          They’ve passed a bunch of truly nice legislation but I can’t fathom why they con’t seem to get rid of that stupid rule. Fortunately for me, it’s now moot since OH will now recognize my CO permit, and I can carry openly OR concealed without doing nonsense unload-reload drills.

        • Then again from what iirc intent on why you are carrying a knife determins legality somewhat….

        • Michigan has the same law that Law enforcement must be promptly notified. My carry permit and driver license are in hand and go to the officer as soon as he/she reaches my window. I live in Indiana but travel in Ohio and Michigan many times a year. Indiana doesn’t have the law about notifying LEO but I follow the same procedure. This has led a couple LEO in Indiana to say thank you and letting me go with a verbal warning.

        • Brownell’s has you covered. They sell a bright yellow sleeve for your shoulder belt that can be pulled down and reads “CCW” or “LEO”. Point to it and ask if he needs further notification or is all well and be soft spoken, polite and utterly calm about it.

          Remember that rat bastard Harliss in Canton.

        • What law are you referencing for Ohio Knife law. The only real laws that reference knives in Ohio is that it is illegal to offer to sell an automatic knife and possession of a “Ballistic Knife is illegal.

        • @McDougall Firearms:: Knives are referenced in other places in the Ohio Revised code. For instance…

          http://codes.ohio.gov/orc/2923

          2923.11 Weapons control definitions.

          As used in sections 2923.11 to 2923.24 of the Revised Code:

          (A) “Deadly weapon” means any instrument, device, or thing capable of inflicting death, and designed or specially adapted for use as a weapon, or possessed, carried, or used as a weapon.

          …

          2923.12 Carrying concealed weapons.

          (A) No person shall knowingly carry or have, concealed on the person’s person or concealed ready at hand, any of the following:

          (1) A deadly weapon other than a handgun;

          Upstream, I gave a link to a TheTruthAboutKnives article about Ohio knife laws. AFAIK, any knife (concealed?) that is carried as a weapon is verboten. Also, there is no state level preemption on knives so each place in Ohio is free to make its own rules.

        • Rather than verbally inform the officer, hand him/her your CC Permit along with your driver license. This will inform without raising any verbal red flags, especially important if he/she has a partner approaching. You don’t want the partner hearing the word ‘gun!’.

        • The comment that simply handing the officer your CHL suffices for notification is incorrect, ORC 2923.126(A) requires that “[T]he licensee shall promptly inform any law enforcement officer who approaches the licensee while stopped that the licensee has been issued a concealed handgun license AND that the licensee currently is carrying a concealed handgun.” [emphasis added]

          “Promptly” has been construed by the appellate courts in Ohio as ‘upon the FIRST contact with the officer’. While I agree that it would be unwise to shout out “I’ve got a GUN !”, one should notify the officer that you are licensed, and THEN also let them know that you are also carrying a weapon.

    • “…and why not?” I’ll tell you why not. Last year, in 2015, I called the Ohio Attorney General’s office and asked why they did not honor PA concealed licenses. They told me no. I asked why not. They said, because PA didn’t require similar firearms training courses as Ohio did.

      I lived in Ohio many years, before they passed the concealed carry laws, and the Ohio law said you could freely carry a firearm ‘where a law abiding citizen would feel it prudent.’ Seriously subjective wording. They said concealed carry permits weren’t required because of the way the law was written, but let me tell you. If a cop saw you had a gun in public, you would be arrested, your gun confiscated, and you summoned to appear in court. In court, it judge would decide if it was prudent for you to have the gun with you, in the context of where you were.

      But, it was very likely that it would never be prudent for you to have had the gun with you. If, for example, you were going into a bad section of town, and you had your firearm with you for protection, the judge would simply say, “If you knew it was a dangerous place to go, a prudent man would not have gone there. Guilty! Bailiff, take this man away.”

      Now that they have a concealed carry permit license in Ohio, at least you can pull your license out and show the cop that you are legally licensed.

  3. Does this mean that I who live in Springfield, MA which is may issue and it is up to the Police (statist) Chief who approved only an LTC A which means high capacity and handguns but that it is restricted to hunting & target will now be more free in Ohio?

    • “Well, Judge. I was on my way to target practice, and this guy stuck a gun in my ribs and announced ‘your money or your life!’ so as I reached for my wallet to accommodate him, my hand brushed by my concealed firearm and I thought to myself ‘Self. Why not?’ and as I pushed him away, I drew my target practice pistol that I was only carrying for target practice purposes, and shot him until he was no longer a threat to me. I am so sorry to learn that he died at the scene. I’m led to believe by his family that he was just trying to turn his life around.. Can I go now, Judge?”

      • In some states you may. In some states you will. My state is the last kind of state.

        (but quite excellent scenario!)

    • @ Red Sox, as a fellow inmate of the Commonwealth, I sympathize. I have an unrestricted LTC-A from North Attleboro by way of Osterville (Barnstable) but just to be sure, I also have a license from FL. And because I travel to NV and NH regularly, I have licenses from both of them, too.

      How nice it would be to need only one license nationwide — or none at all.

  5. No restriction of “resident/non-resident” permits issued by other states, so NJ, MD, etc. citizens with FL or UT non-resident permits will have those permits honored in OH.

  6. I wonder how this will work for Indiana residents? Indiana has no CCW permit, instead it is a license to carry – it is entirely silent on the method of carry

    • Well, commonly the permits were known for target or concealed, but as of late most people have been getting the license to carry handgun that state to carry on their person, or in a vehicle, any handgun…I am assuming that Ohio will recognize Indiana permits, but they have not done so in the past as they consider us poor shots who will miss our targets in a bar and hit bystanders.

      • “. . . but they have not done so in the past as they consider us poor shots who will miss our targets in a bar and hit bystanders.”
        .
        What! They’ll think you are an official Law Enforcement person?
        .
        Horrors!
        .

      • The part that’s causing me the most uncertainty is that the law states “a valid concealed handgun license from another state”, so it looks like they still don’t want Hoosiers carrying in their state.

      • Indiana Tom, I live in Ohio on the state line with Indiana. I actually shoot at and belong to a club in Indiana. Talking to those there their understanding is their permits will be valid and honored in Ohio. The thing that sticks in the craw of the Indiana shooters is that more states honor Ohio permits vs Indiana permits. They tell me this is due to the AG office in Indiana not being that active. I guess Ohio’s AG is more active working with other states.

  7. Now if I can only figure out how to get from Iowa to Ohio without traveling through Illinois.

    • You could apply for an Illinois out-of-state licence, though it would cost some bucks and require the 16 hour class.

      It will be awhile before Illinois learns to play nice with other states.

      • Hmm… 16 hours is probably more time than it takes to drive to Ohio via Kentucky, so I’ll probably pass for now.

        Keep the faith though, we’ll drag Illinois into the 21st century sooner or later.

        • Governer, on your concern about crossing illinois to get to ohio, check into the illinois law about their procedure for out of state carriers. as a missouri ccw person, they tell me i can carry concealed in my car while driving in illinois, but must secure and lock up the gun before exiting the vehicle. I think the Illinois state rifle association can give you the specifics.

      • They will never “play nice”.

        Illinois is a corrupt, bankrupt, union-run state. Their ability to get out-ahead of this issue is nil, and they will soon become a pocket of regulation and stifling control, in a sea of carrying freedom.

      • While traveling through Illinois, even if you have a valid conceal carry permit from another state, not one from Illinois, you better lock your firearm up in the trunk or back seat. Make sure it is “unloaded and not accessible to the driver. Ammunition needs to be in a separate container.” Otherwise it will result in a nice visit to friendly confines of the local Police station.

        • Illinois recognizes all out of state carry permits for non-illinois residents as long as they are in their vehicle. If they get out the gun has to be locked up. It is great for truck drivers, vacationers, folks that get lost near the boarder, and the like. It is easy to miss as it is burried in the non resident requirements section.

          Here is the statute:

          430 ILCS 66/40 (e)

  8. Compare Ohio to its neighbor Pennsylvania. In Ohio, they have learned you vote Republican even if you don’t agree across the board you get gun rights. In Pennsylvania you vote Democrat and you get all sorts of anti gun bills and restrictions.

  9. Hey, that makes 31 states for my no class required GA license! And 1 more to Ohioans (I think?) as our AG is required by law to reciprocate with any state that accepts our permits.

    • Yep. Us Ohioans can now carry in Georgia. More importantly though is that we are now able to carry in Indiana and Pennsylvania.

        • TIL. I thought they only did it if the other state recognized their permit the way PA does. I am in the OH, WV, PA tri-state area and never go to IN so I really never looked into it very deeply. Being able to carry in PA is going to make things a lot easier for me.

      • I would give it a few days. The statute says that reciprocity is mandatory but it must be declared by the AG. These usually come out quickly but I would hate to see visitors from Ohio be the last to face arrest for CC because of a technicality.

  10. @JSlll–yours is a curious comment. Pa is by no means perfect but is pretty firearms friendly. The permit system is easy and SI, there is SYG, castle doctrine which includes vehicles, any type of firearms and related equipment is legal, the preemption law was recently strengthened which resulted in local governments caving in although Pgh and Philly are holding out, Cont carry is on the table and we can carry knives. Think I’ll stay for a while.

  11. I understand why AG Mike Dewine did this.

    The cross-checking against individual states permit laws is an excruciating process, and this blanket acceptance moves the onus of compliance onto the individual out-of-state holders as far as their being in aware and in compliance of Ohio CCW laws.

    CCW holders, in general, are a pretty savvy group.

  12. Ohio has assembled an impressive state leadership team. I’d like to steal away Gov. John Kasich and have him clean up the mess the current White House squatters have created.

  14. So what about gunowners from no permit req. states like AZ, VT, WY, etc.? How does OH treat them?

    • You have to have some type of permit. AZ and WY both still issue permits even though they have permit-less carry. VT residents will have to get a non-resident permit from another state to conceal carry in OH.

  15. Great, they’ll accept my CC Permit. Now get them to accept my marriage license too, I’ll be impressed.

  16. I thought Illinois now allows CCDW. Am I wrong or they just do not honor other states permits?

    • I just looked the Illinois CCDW law and OMG. From what I read you can not go early anyplace public at all. Pretty much get the permit and stay home with your gun. Not surprised.

  18. Dammit. Screwed by constitutional carry again! (This is tongue in cheek. I am a Vermont resident.”

  20. Anyone from Ohio know what the law is about number of rounds in a mag and use of hollow points?

    • AFAIK, the 31 round limit was removed in the last bit of legislation and hollowpoints haven’t been a problem since 9.68 preemption because the revised code is mute on them.

  22. Non Ohio residents with CCW permits beware of carrying in Ohio. The wording of the new law is pretty vague and can be used against you if the LEO wanted to. Straight from Ohio AG…..

    “[We] spoke with an attorney in our office who is our contact on this issue. He said that your analysis is correct. PA CCW permits are valid in Ohio as long as the PA resident is ‘temporarily’ in Ohio. [As per ORC] 109.69(B)(3). The legislature did not define the word ‘temporarily.’ Alas, the determination of ‘temporary’ will be difficult to make on the side of the road for an officer. We assume that eventually there will be case law that addresses this. I know that didn’t really answer your question except to say that it’s not defined in law.”

    • In Ohio, a competent attorney should be able to get a charge based upon an undefined term like this dismissed, especially since the AG admitted it. But, yeah, as with any government dealings, caution is warranted. For interactions hinging upon the this term under this law, extra caution is prudent.

      We have similar debates over “and” & “or” when it comes to identifying in compliance with the Ohio Revised Code. The law uses “or” but application has been “and”. It boils down to a grammatical vs strict definition discussion. Go figure.

  24. I know not really ‘on point’ but please can some knowledgeable person tell me what pistol is pictured at the top of this article (gripped and about to be unholstered)?

    Thanks

  25. If I am an Ohio resident and obtain an AZ CCW, is it valid if I do not already have an OH CCW? We had this discussion on the family. They say “yes,” but my husband says no – if your drivers’ license is from Ohio, and you reside in Ohio (permanently; not traveling through Ohio), Ohio will NOT accept an AZ CCW? Confused? Any help? Thank you.

  26. To be legal in all lower 48 states is the goal… i hope to live to see it … God bless the USA

  28. I have a Virginia CCW permit but just moved to Ohio with new drivers license. So is my permit legal in a Ohio now.

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