COLUMBUS, Ohio — Should training be required if you are going to carry a concealed weapon in Ohio?
Currently, the law requires Ohioans to go through eight hours of training and a background check to obtain a CCW permit.
Senate Bill 215 would no longer require gun owners to obtain a license to carry a concealed weapon from their local sheriff.
“It would simply eliminate the need or the regulation for someone to go through an 8 hour class in Ohio in order to be able to carry concealed in Ohio,” said Eric Delbert, owner of LEPD gun shop.
“It's the non-training aspect of it that is the killer for me,” said Jacqueline Casimire of Mothers of Murdered Columbus Children.
Casimire's son was shot and killed in September 2020.
“My son was an advocate. He had his license. He was a gun collector. I personally have never even shot a gun. Guess what? I'm going to learn how to shoot a gun because it's about to be the wild wild west,” Casimire said.
“After seeing what happened in 2020 and also in 2021 with a lot of the riots and the other unrest around the country, I think that people started to realize why we wanted this and why Ohioans shouldn't have to get a license in order to carry or protect themselves,” said Dean Rieck, Executive Director of Buckeye Firearms Association.
Gun rights advocates argue the right to carry with no mention of training was written into the constitution and should be law.
“There are 21 states that have constitutional carry. Not a single one of them has tried to reverse this law. It's worked reasonably well in every state despite the predictions. So we think it's going to work here, too,” Rieck said.
The bill is on Governor Mike DeWine's desk, but he has not said whether he will sign it or not. A spokesperson said in a statement that the governor has always supported the right of the Second Amendment rights.