OH Gun Law

[Speedo66]

My wife is once more pushing for a move to OH to be closer to our daughter's family. I'll do more research if we actually get close to moving, but just had a question.

Is an OH pistol license required just to possess a pistol in your home or at a range, or only to carry? As a retired peace officer, I'm exempt under HR218/LEOSA, but still wish to be compliant with local law.

Thanks

 

[Mainsail]

I'll bump this back to the top so someone more knowledgeable can answer fully. Here's what I (think I) know- No permit required to own or transport to a range. Open carry is legal without a permit or license- concealed carry requires a license or permit, which requires you take a class of some sort.
I think they have full state preemption, so no local laws of which you'll need to keep track.

 

[Sol]

Only need a license to CC in OH.

Ammo and gun need to be seperate during transport if no CC permit.

I.e. gun in trunk in container, ammo in locked glove box.

OH had some changes to the law about transport recently I think, so the info above may be dated.

Takes about 10 minutes from picking a gun to purchasing, so long as NICS says you're not a terrorist or felon.

OC is legal but wouldn't recommend it in the L*****l suburbs or larger cities.
(just for the sake of minimizing your interactions with Law enforcement)

 

[markallen]

No license to own, transport or open carry a pistol, or long gun.
No registration.
No waiting period for purchases, although you must be a resident.
You will need a license for concealed carry. You have to be a resident, and take a 12 hour class, and have a background check from local sheriff.
Ohio is a shall issue state by the way.
If you have a concealed hand gun license, you can carry a pistol in your vehicle any way you want. On your seat, under the seat or on your person. Long guns have to be unloaded. Which prior to the last law change meant unloaded magazines also.
If you are not licensed you can open carry. But in a vehicle weapon must be unloaded, including long guns, and that includes speed loaders, and magazines, with the ammo separate form the guns.
Ohio has state preemption. local laws have to follow state laws.
If you have your CHL ( concealed handgun license) and are stopped for a lawful reason you must inform, unless you are NOT carrying at the time. The need to inform has caused a few headaches here in Ohio.
With CHL no restrictions on what you can carry. If you want to carry S&W 500 mag go for it. If you want to carry a Jennings,,,,,,,,,,well........ but you can if you want.
No gun signs carry the weight of law, but if a parking lot is posted it is civil dispute.
Hope brief explanation helps.

 

[Speedo66]

Helped a lot. Thanks to all for their help.

I was concerned about possessing handguns in the state while waiting for a permit, but it looks like my fears were unfounded.

Any "assault" weapon or magazine restrictions?

 

[N605TW]

Please do not take my word for it. I am not a lawyer.
If you're weapon is capable of firing 31 (possibly 32) or more times the state of Ohio classifies that weapon as a machine gun.

 

[MICHAEL T]

move to IN or KY lot more gun friendly I can reach my home town in NW Ohio when I want about every 5 years and that's to often in around 3 hours

 

[SMMAssociates]

Speedo66:

Under LEOSA, you really don't need to get an OH license, but it would be a good idea to do so anyway. There's a zinger in the Federal law about school zones that seems to NOT exempt licensees unless they're residents of the state they're licensed in.

(I'm not sure if LEOSA covers this one.)

That 31 round thing is real....

I don't believe that you need to empty magazines now when transporting a gun. The law changed a while back. You DO need an empty chamber (or cylinder).

You might want to think about KY , but OH's coming along....

One more thing you might run into. We had a restriction against carrying in a restaurant that served alcohol. That went away about the first of October 2011. You still can't drink, but you can carry if the place isn't otherwise posted.

The Ohio Liquor Control sign ("You May Be Committing A Felony....") does NOT apply to licensees. The "no concealed weapons" signs DO.

A whole lot of buildings that we paid for are statutory CPZ's, but the AG's sign says something to the effect of "unless authorized", and the actual law says "but not licensees". Nobody agrees with how to treat that if you find that wording at Sears, but you do want to stay out of the BMV Deputy Registrars.

Schools are off-limits, as is generally the case. Houses of Worship are also statutory unless you get permission (it really should be in writing) from whoever's authorized to say so, and finding him/her can be interesting.

Oh yes.... Join BFA or OFCC .... I'm a Site Admin at BFA and a member of OFCC. More info than you wanted ....

Regards,

 

[Grumulkin]

Helped a lot. Thanks to all for their help.

I was concerned about possessing handguns in the state while waiting for a permit, but it looks like my fears were unfounded.

Any "assault" weapon or magazine restrictions?

My information comes from talking to LEOs. Take it for what it's worth.

1. The city of Columbus has an assault rifle ban but it isn't enforceable.

2. There is a ban on magazines holding more than 30 rounds; at least I think there may be. Some companies seem to know about it and won't ship said magazines to Ohio and some do; probably by mistake. I've seen even 100 round magazines sold openly at gun shows which are also frequented by LEOs and have been told it isn't illegal to have them.

3. A do not carry sign on a business does carry the weight of law but violating it is a misdemeanor and not a felony.

4. Ohio recognizes the concealed carry permits of quite a number of states. Go to the Attorney General's web site for the list.

 

[Speedo66]

Again, thanks to all for their answers.

I guess taking the +2 round base plate off a Glock 33 round mag, restoring it to 31, would solve that problem.

EDIT: I just read the applicable statute, and the mag limit is indeed 30, plus one chambered, to make 31, so the big Glock mags are out. Not illegal to possess, just can't be put into a gun.

 

[TJ AK-74]

A semi-auto firearm is considered an automatic weapon if the following condition applies:

It can fire more than 31 rounds without reloading (this allows round in chamber, plus full 30rd mag, or 31 rounds in a mag, but none in chamber), AND it is NOT .22LR (so fully loaded 50rd mags for say a Ruger 10/22 are legal).

Actual possession of a magazine holding more than 30-31 rounds is legal. Loading a magazine with more than 31 rounds is legal. Inserting loaded magazine that is loaded with more than 31 rounds technically makes it a machine gun, and is illegal, though not really enforced to my knowledge.

For belt-fed semi-autos, you technically should not load more than 31rds at a time.

Please note that if the weapon is not semi-auto, the mag restrictions don't apply, so it would be legal to load and shoot a 100rd Beta drum mag from a pump-action Remington rifle that has been modified to accept AR-15 mags.

Silly, right?

 

[yzguy87]

^^^
100% Correct!

There used to be an "assault weapon" ban in Columbus but it was ruled unconstitutional!
http://www.stephenhalbrook.com/lawsuits/firearms.html

The only thing I don't like about this state as far as firearms laws are concerned is the mag limit that TJ AK-74 mentioned in the post above (and shotgun only hunting but that is for the hunting section!). I will add though that I don't THINK (I could be wrong) that particular law is enforced much because every now and then I see ads for AR's and AK's with drums on gunlistings and armslist.

 

[Deanimator]

Is an OH pistol license required just to possess a pistol in your home or at a range, or only to carry?

There's no such thing as an "Ohio pistol license".

There is an Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL) which is required in order to CARRY a CONCEALED handgun or possess a loaded handgun in a vehicle.

There are NO:

• licenses to purchase or possess firearm of ANY sort.
• registration requirements for guns OR their owners.

 

[Noah]

As an Ohio resident in the Cincinnati area (southwest corner by IN and KY) Ohio is a decent place to live as a gun person. I went in and bought an AR at the LGS in 10 minutes for a great price from awesome people in 10 minutes or less.

The mag limit is an issue, but I have NEVER seen a single example of it being enforced, and I see 40-100 round mags at every gun show I go to. I don't bother to own any mags over 30, and I sure as heck wouldn't want to be in a home defense shooting where I was using an illegal magazine.

Ohio has ZERO registration/gun ownership license anything. Just a CHP at 21 years for concealed carry, and having a gun with the magazine in in your vehicle.

Open carry is legal without said CHP. I work at a grocery store in a rural area, and have a civilian OC'er in the store maybe every 2 or 3 months, and nobody freaks out. The old guy in the Colt sweatshirt, USMC Vet hat. and 1911 in the leather belt holster hanging out at the bench in the front of the store while his wife shops? A smile and nod from me, and most employees and customers didn't notice him. One manager walked by him, noticed the gun, and gave a pretty obvious and comical double take, but that was it.

Living in Ohio, as an 18 year old, I hate the fact that in Ohio you have to be 21 to posses a pistol or get one in a private purchase. In KY, you can get a private purchase handgun and even OC it. In IN you can get a full blown CCW permit at 18.

Ohio's knife laws are also rather poor. Extremely vague, with no preemption. It is illegal to conceal a knife that is a switchblade, ballisong, fixed blade, or any other deadly weapon. No word on blade length, it's all arbitrary.

Your knife has to be carried as a tool. I've always carried a 3.5" bladed one hand opener, but it's entirely possible that I could get in trouble for it for one reason or another. I just keep my nose clean, and try to help myself by having a bright blue handled, shiny plain blade knife that is marketed as a tool. My Spyderco (I hope) will look more innocent to a jury or police officer than a 4" black Cold Steel that is marketed as a weapon and shown on video hacking meat. That said, I've carried plenty of Cold Steel knives that fit that exact description.



All things considered, I'd be in KY or IN if I had a choice. Ohio is acceptable, but you can do better if IN or KY is close enough for your wife.

 

[enine]

There were some recent changes to OH laws last year and a couple other bills in the works
http://www.buckeyefirearms.org/Ohio-Gun-Laws

 

[1911 guy]

Been an Ohio resident most of my life, but have lived elsewhere. Ohio is friendly territory for gunnies and getting even more so.

 

[rtroha]

Living in Ohio, as an 18 year old, I hate the fact that in Ohio you have to be 21 to posses a pistol or get one in a private purchase.

The law doesn't specifically say it is illegal to possess, just illegal to acquire. An 18-20 year old that legally acquired a handgun while living in another state who then subsequently moved to Ohio would not be breaking any laws.

 

[Grumulkin]

Ohio is acceptable, but you can do better if IN or KY is close enough for your wife.

If I'm not mistaken, you're not allowed to own a suppressor in IN but you are in OH.

 

[Noah]

My bad, you are correct. I often forget that point because it doesn't apply to me. Not going to spend a month in an apartment in another state just to buy a pistol I can't CC haha.