Ohio lawmakers could soon consider legislation to allow local Ohio jurisdictions to expand concealed carry access.
The House Public Safety Committee held a first hearing on House Bill 68, which reintroduces House Bill 272 from the last General Assembly.
It would allow governments to let people carry concealed weapons into buildings that meet various criteria. For example, Ohioans could carry a weapon under the legislation into a local government building with a courtroom as long as it is not a courthouse.
State Reps. Adam Mathews, R-Lebanon, and Justin Pizzulli, R-Scioto County, the bill’s sponsors, noted that some smaller jurisdictions’ city halls might house multiple departments, such as the tax department, council chambers, and a room sometimes used as a courtroom. They said combining different parts of current Ohio law could prevent a municipality from allowing concealed carry into a building that sometimes houses a courtroom.
“Our bill simply allows municipalities, which already have the authority to recognize concealed carry in their secondary buildings like the electric building, storage garages, and the like, to expand that protection to themselves even if in other instances or in other wings their home buildings are used for courtroom proceedings,” the sponsors said in prepared testimony.
“This bill recognizes the need to treat court proceedings with necessary care,” the lawmakers added. “In keeping with current law, a municipality cannot authorize concealed carry in a building that is entirely a courthouse. If part of the municipal hall is used for a courtroom, the municipality can only allow concealed carry when there are no court services in operation. This includes session, attorney meetings, or even the clerk of courts being open for business.”
A change from Senate Bill 199, which took effect in March 2017, permits municipalities to allow concealed carry in their city buildings. This change remains in effect after constitutional carry was passed last term.
A local government must first enact an ordinance, and the bill stipulates that the building cannot be in active use for court when weapons are allowed inside.
“House Bill 68 additionally includes a provision added in the committee process last General Assembly to correct an oversight in current law blocking some former residents from seeking relief from weapons disability,” the sponsor lawmakers said in their prepared testimony. “Currently, if a person is prohibited from carrying firearms due to an indictment, conviction or guilty plea, or delinquent child adjudication, they must apply for relief in the court of common pleas of the county in which they live.
“This excludes those who have since moved out of Ohio, leaving them with no way to seek relief,” the lawmakers added. “This bill would therefore allow non-residents to apply for relief in the county in which the indictment was entered or in which the conviction, guilty plea, or adjudication occurred.”
The Ohio House passed the previous House Bill 272 in 2023 by a 57-29 margin. While the legislation drew support from groups like the Buckeye Firearms Association, the Ohio Judicial Conference and others opposed it.
In October 2023, Lebanon Mayor Mark Messer told lawmakers that while the city “recognized the permissive authority granted to municipalities and passed legislation to permit concealed carry in our city chambers,” the “move led to a legal challenge that exposed potential ambiguity in the existing legislation, and our city found itself embroiled in a court case.”
“Our experience in fighting and winning this case revealed the need for enhanced clarity in the law,” Messer said in prepared testimony at the time. It became evident that the intersection of different sections of the revised code could lead to unintended consequences, creating uncertainty for both municipalities and residents.”
