Ohio: Senate Civil Justice Committee to Hold Hearings on Three Pro-Gun Bills This Week

This Wednesday, November 12, the Ohio Senate Civil Justice Committee will hold its additional testimony hearings on House Bill 234 and Senate Bill 338 and its first sponsor hearing on House Bill 203.

HB 234, sponsored by state Representative Cheryl Grossman (R-23), would revise state law to allow a person to use a firearm sound suppressor while hunting in the Buckeye State.  Currently, more than half of the states across the country permit hunters to use suppressors while hunting.  There are numerous benefits to hunting with suppressed firearms, including:

• Elimination of noise complaints frequently used as an excuse to close hunting lands throughout the country, resulting in the protection of hunting areas well into the future.

• Reduction of recoil and muzzle rise resulting in increased accuracy of hunters.  More accurate shooting in the field means fewer wounded and lost animals, good for both hunters and wildlife.

• Reduction in muzzle report to hearing-safe levels, limiting the risk that the hunter or anyone with the hunter will suffer permanent hearing loss if they fail to use hearing protection.

SB 338, introduced by state Senator Joe Uecker (R-14), makes improvements to Ohio’s current concealed carry laws, including:

• Closing a public property loophole in state law by preventing persons or entities leasing certain government property from banning concealed handguns from the premises.

• Reducing the number of training hours required to obtain a concealed-carry permit from 12 hours to 8 hours and eliminate the two-hour minimum live-fire training requirement.

• Allowing investigators of the Attorney General’s office to carry a concealed weapon while investigating nursing homes, residential care facilities, long-term care facilities, Medicaid programs, and patient abuse or neglect violations.

HB 203, sponsored by state Representative Terry Johnson (R-90), improves Ohio’s self-defense laws, including:

• Strengthening the existing criminal background check process to obtain an Ohio Concealed Handgun License (CHL) by requiring all CHL applicants to undergo a National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) compliant background check.  This improvement is the first step in allowing Ohio CHL holders to qualify for a NICS exemption when purchasing a firearm.

• Establishing an automatic reciprocity process for CHL holders.

• Allowing purchase and sale of shotguns and rifles in non-contiguous states.

• Reducing the minimum training requirement to obtain a competency certificate required to apply for a CHL from twelve hours to four hours.

• Applying the same federal disqualifiers for the possession and purchase of a firearm to applicants for a CHL.

• Establishing a non-resident application process to obtain a CHL.

• Modifying the state's self-defense law.  Under current law, a person has no duty to retreat before using deadly force if that person is in their own home or automobile.  This legislation would expand that to any place a person has a lawful right to be.

The Senate Civil Justice Committee hearing on these important pro-gun bills will take place this Wednesday at 9:45 a.m. in the Senate Finance Hearing Room of the state Capitol.  Using the contact information provided below, please call and e-mail members of this Senate committee today and urge them to support HB 234, SB 338 an HB 203.

Senate Civil Justice Committee:

Senator Bill Coley (R-4), Chairman
(614) 466-8072
E-mail

Senator Larry Obhof (R-22), Vice Chairman
(614) 466-7505
E-mail

Senator Michael Skindell (D-23)
(614) 466-5123
E-mail

Senator Kevin Bacon (R-3)
(614) 466-8064
E-mail

Senator Edna Brown (D-11)
(614) 466-5204
E-mail

Senator John Eklund (R-18)
(614) 644-7718
E-mail

Senator Eric Kearney (D-9)
(614) 466-5980
E-mail

Senator Scott Oelslager (R-29)
(614) 466-0626
E-mail

Senator Bill Seitz (R-8)
(614) 466-8068
E-mail

Senator Joe Uecker (R-17)
(614) 466-8082
E-mail