Concealed Carry in Ohio

Yes, since June 13, 2022. A 'qualifying adult' — 'Twenty-one years of age or older', not prohibited from possessing firearms under federal law or R.C. 2923.13, and meeting most concealed handgun license eligibility criteria — 'shall not be required to obtain a concealed handgun license' to carry a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm, and may carry it anywhere a licensee may, subject to the same restrictions. The right ends automatically if the person later becomes prohibited from possessing firearms.

Concealed handgun license, shall-issue, issued by the county sheriff: within forty-five days after receiving a complete application, documentation and fee, the sheriff 'shall issue' a license if the applicant meets the criteria, including that 'The applicant is at least twenty-one years of age.' Training: a course with 'at least eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm', including 'A minimum of two hours of in-person training that consists of range time and live-fire training', and a competency exam (written and in-person physical demonstration). Fee: 'a fee of sixty-seven dollars' for applicants who have been Ohio residents five or more years; for newer residents or nonresidents employed in Ohio, $67 'plus the actual cost of having a background check performed by the federal bureau of investigation'; waived for active, reserve, retired or honorably discharged military and certain others. A license 'shall expire five years after the date of issuance'; renewed licenses also last five years.

Broad. A nonresident 'temporarily in this state' with 'a valid concealed handgun license that was issued by another license-issuing state', 'regardless of whether the other license-issuing state has entered into a reciprocity agreement', may carry with the same rights as an Ohio licensee. A new Ohio resident's out-of-state license is valid for six months after moving (indefinitely if the issuing state has a reciprocity agreement or substantially comparable requirements). The Attorney General negotiates reciprocity agreements with states whose requirements are 'substantially comparable' and that recognize Ohio licenses.

A license (or qualifying-adult status) does not authorize concealed carry in: police stations, sheriff's offices, highway patrol posts, BCI premises, prisons and jails; airport terminal areas beyond security screening; certain state mental health and developmental disability institutions; school safety zones (R.C. 2923.122; licensees may leave a handgun in a locked vehicle); courthouses and buildings with a courtroom (R.C. 2923.123); D-liquor-permit premises in violation of R.C. 2923.121 (licensees may possess there if not consuming beer or liquor and not under the influence); college and university premises unless the handgun is in a locked vehicle or the institution authorizes carry; places of worship 'unless the church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship posts or permits otherwise'; government buildings of the state or a political subdivision (other than shelters, restrooms, parking and rest facilities) unless the governing body permits; and places where federal law bans handguns. Private owners and lessees may post a conspicuous sign prohibiting firearms; knowingly violating it is criminal trespass.

'No person shall knowingly transport or have a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle in such a manner that the firearm is accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle.' Without a license, a firearm in a vehicle must be unloaded and carried 'In a closed package, box, or case', 'In a compartment that can be reached only by leaving the vehicle', 'In plain sight and secured in a rack or holder made for the purpose', or (for long guns of specified length) in plain sight with the action open or stripped. These limits do not apply to a handgun carried by a concealed handgun licensee (or qualifying adult, who is treated as a licensee) or a trained active-duty service member who is not in a prohibited place. A licensee stopped by police with a loaded handgun in the vehicle must disclose it when an officer asks. No one may have a loaded handgun in a vehicle while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.