On April 7th, 2015 the honorable Representative Ron Hood (along with twenty cosponsors) introduced House Bill 147 to revise the licensing requirements for concealed weapons to be carried. The bill, if passed would removed licensure requirements to conceal a weapon in our great state. As college students, and citizens of the Mahoning Valley, this bill is very concerning.

As you are aware, currently Ohio requires an eight hour course where applicants learn safe firearm handling as well as our state’s laws for self defense. Further, applicants are also required to submit to a criminal background check to ensure there is nothing that would preclude them from concealing a firearm in most public places. This legislation, if passed as written would essentially make this optional, meaning anyone who can purchase a firearm would be allowed to conceal it in public.

We are not alone in this concern. To quote Jay McDonald, President of the Fraternal Order of Police for the State of Ohio: “We are in favor of concealed carry, but we are not in favor of eliminating the licensing procedure. There are a lot of good things that come with the licensing, and one of those is training”. His position is further echoed in the opinion of Robert Cornwell, Executive Director of the Buckeye State Sheriff’s Association: “We feel as though individuals who are going to carry concealed need some sort of training and education on Ohio’s use-of-force laws and work on the range.”