Careers
June 13, 2022
On March 14, 2022, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine signed Senate Bill (SB) 215 (commonly referred to as Ohio’s Constitutional Carry Bill) into law. The provisions of SB 215 went into effect June 13, 2022. The new law eliminates the requirement that a concealed handgun licensee must carry the concealed handgun license in order to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio. The new law also provides that a person who is a “qualifying adult” is not required to obtain a concealed handgun license in order to carry a concealed handgun in Ohio that is not a “restricted firearm.”
While SB 215 introduces a new section (2923.111) of the Ohio Revised Code, which further defines the terms, “qualifying adult” and “restricted firearm,” the new law only contains minor changes to the provisions of Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.122, which is the provision of Ohio law that addresses conveyance or possession of firearms in a school safety zone.
The changes made by SB 215 impact school safety zones as follows:
- The new provisions of Section 2923.111 pertaining to a “qualifying adult” being (automatically) deemed to have been issued a valid concealed handgun license (even if such license was not issued) do not apply to conveying or possessing firearms in school safety zones. This means that if an individual is conveying or possessing a firearm in a school safety zone, he/she must have a valid concealed handgun license.
- A concealed handgun licensee is no longer required to actually carry the concealed handgun license when the licensee possesses a firearm in a school safety zone if the firearm is left locked in a motor vehicle.
Ohio Revised Code Section 2923.122 continues to generally prohibit the conveyance of firearms in school safety zones.
If you have changes regarding the impact of SB 215, Walter Haverfield’s education attorneys are available to help.
Lisa Burleson is a partner at Walter Haverfield who focuses her practice on education law. She can be reached at lburleson@walterhav.com and at 614-246-2156.