Ohio Gun Laws

A 'qualifying adult' — defined as a person 21 or older who is not federally prohibited under 18 U.S.C. 922(g)(1)-(9) and not state-prohibited under § 2923.13 and who satisfies enumerated CHL eligibility criteria — may carry a concealed handgun anywhere in Ohio a CHL holder may carry, without obtaining a license. Effective June 13, 2022 (SB 215, 134th GA).

"A person who is a qualifying adult shall not be required to obtain a concealed handgun license in order to carry in this state, under authority of division (B)(2) of this section, a concealed handgun that is not a restricted firearm."

ORC § 2923.111(B) statute

SB 215 enacted ORC § 2923.111 and amended §§ 1547.69, 2923.12, 2923.121, 2923.122, 2923.123, 2923.126, 2923.128, 2923.16, and 2953.37 to authorize a qualifying adult to carry a concealed handgun in the same manner as a licensee and to relax the proactive duty to inform an officer of carry. Signed by Gov. DeWine March 14, 2022; effective June 13, 2022.

"AN ACT To amend sections 1547.69, 2923.12, 2923.121, 2923.122, 2923.123, 2923.126, 2923.128, 2923.16, and 2953.37 and to enact section 2923.111 of the Revised Code regarding a concealed handgun licensee's duty to carry the license and notify a law enforcement officer if the licensee is carrying a concealed handgun, and a right of a qualifying adult to carry a concealed handgun in the same manner as if the person was a licensee."

Senate Bill 215 (134th General Assembly, 2022) statute

Concealed Handgun Licenses are issued by Ohio county sheriffs. Applicants must complete a competency course consisting of at least eight hours of training in safe handling and use of a firearm, including a minimum of two hours of in-person range time with live-fire training. The standard license fee is $67 (waived for active/reserve/retired military and qualifying retired peace officers).

"eight hours of training in the safe handling and use of a firearm... (e) A minimum of two hours of in-person training that consists of range time and live-fire training."

ORC § 2923.125 statute

A concealed handgun license issued under § 2923.125 expires five years after the date of issuance, with a 30-day grace period after expiration during which the license remains valid.

"A concealed handgun license that is issued under section 2923.125 of the Revised Code shall expire five years after the date of issuance."

ORC § 2923.126(A) statute

The Ohio Attorney General publishes the Concealed-Carry Laws Manual and the official application; the issuing authority is the applicant's county sheriff (or any adjacent county sheriff).

"This website contains materials explaining many portions of Ohio's concealed handgun licensing law."

Ohio AG — Concealed Carry ag

Governs suspension and revocation of an Ohio Concealed Handgun License. The issuing sheriff must suspend a license when the licensee is arrested for or charged with a disqualifying offense under § 2923.125(D)(1)(d), becomes subject to a qualifying protection order, or is adjudicated as no longer eligible. The license must be revoked on conviction of a disqualifying offense or on any other ground that would have disqualified the applicant at issuance. Amended by SB 215 (2022) in connection with the permitless-carry framework.

"If a licensee holding a valid concealed handgun license is arrested for or otherwise charged with an offense described in division (D)(1)(d) of section 2923.125... the sheriff who issued the license shall suspend it."

ORC § 2923.128 (CHL suspension and revocation) statute

Open carry of firearms is legal in Ohio. Ohio's concealed-carry laws do not regulate open carry of firearms; no permit is required to openly carry.

"The open carry of firearms is legal in Ohio. Ohio's concealed-carry laws do not regulate 'open' carry of firearms."

Ohio AG Concealed-Carry Manual (June 2022), p.18 ag

A CHL holder or a qualifying adult (deemed-CHL under § 2923.111) may transport a loaded handgun in a motor vehicle in any manner — glove box, center console, locked container, or on the person — without unloading or specific stowage. The handgun does not need to be unloaded or in a separate compartment.

"No person who has been issued a concealed handgun license... who is the driver or an occupant of a motor vehicle that is stopped as a result of a traffic stop... and who is transporting or has a loaded handgun in the motor vehicle or commercial motor vehicle in any manner, shall do any of the following..."

ORC § 2923.16(E) and § 2923.111(B)(2) statute

For a person who is NOT a CHL holder or qualifying adult, a firearm in a motor vehicle must be unloaded and either: (1) in a closed package, box, or case; (2) in a compartment accessible only by leaving the vehicle; (3) in plain sight and secured in a rack or holder; or (4) for a rifle or shotgun of at least 24 inches with at least 18-inch barrel, in plain sight with action open or stripped. Loaded carry in a vehicle by a person under the influence is prohibited by § 2923.16(D).

"No person shall knowingly transport or have a firearm in a motor vehicle, unless the person may lawfully possess that firearm under applicable law of this state or the United States, the firearm is unloaded, and the firearm is carried in one of the following ways..."

ORC § 2923.16(C) statute

Ohio's watercraft analogue to § 2923.16. Prohibits discharging firearms from a vessel and bars transporting or having a loaded firearm in a vessel in a manner accessible without leaving the vessel, unless the operator is a CHL holder (or, by operation of § 2923.111, a qualifying-adult permitless carrier). Non-licensees must carry firearms unloaded in a closed container or with the action open in plain sight. Amended by SB 215 (2022) to extend the licensee exception to qualifying adults.

"No person shall knowingly discharge a firearm while in or on a vessel... [or] transport or have a loaded firearm in a vessel in such a manner that the firearm is accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vessel."

ORC § 1547.69 (Firearms on watercraft) statute

Ohio's parking-lot statute prohibits a business, property owner, or public or private employer from establishing or enforcing a policy that bars 'a person who has been issued a valid concealed handgun license' from transporting or storing a firearm or ammunition in the person's privately owned motor vehicle, when the firearm remains in the vehicle (while the person is present) or is locked in the trunk, glove box, or enclosed container, and the vehicle is in a permitted location. Qualifying-adult permitless carriers are deemed CHL holders for purposes of this section under § 2923.111(C)(1)(a). Violators are subject to civil injunctive relief.

"A business entity, property owner, or public or private employer may not establish, maintain, or enforce a policy or rule that prohibits or has the effect of prohibiting a person who has been issued a valid concealed handgun license from transporting or storing a firearm or ammunition when both of the following conditions are met..."

ORC § 2923.1210 statute

Effective March 23, 2015, Ohio automatically recognizes any concealed handgun license issued by any other state. The Ohio Attorney General has separately confirmed reciprocity (by agreement or by automatic operation of law) for Ohio license holders with multiple states. The AG manual cautions that some states may honor reciprocity only for Ohioans holding an Ohio CHL, not for Ohioans carrying under permitless authority; carriers should research each destination state's rules before traveling.

"Effective March 23, 2015, Ohio recognizes the concealed handgun license of any non-resident who has a valid concealed handgun license from any other state, regardless of whether Ohio has entered into a reciprocity agreement with that state."

ORC § 109.69 / Ohio AG Reciprocity Page ag

Ohio codifies a castle doctrine presumption: a person is presumed to have acted in self-defense or defense of another when using defensive force intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm against a person who is unlawfully and without privilege entering or has entered the defender's residence or vehicle. The presumption is rebuttable and does not apply if the entrant had a right to be there or the defender was unlawfully in the residence or vehicle.

"a person is presumed to have acted in self-defense or defense of another when using defensive force that is intended or likely to cause death or great bodily harm to another if the person against whom the defensive force is used is in the process of unlawfully and without privilege to do so entering, or has unlawfully and without privilege to do so entered, the residence or vehicle occupied by the person using the defensive force."

ORC § 2901.05(B)(2) statute

Ohio law imposes no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of residence if the person is in a place where the person lawfully has a right to be. The trier of fact may not consider the possibility of retreat in evaluating reasonableness. This blanket no-duty-to-retreat rule was enacted by SB 175 (2020) and took effect April 6, 2021.

"a person has no duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of that person's residence if that person is in a place in which the person lawfully has a right to be."

ORC § 2901.09(B) statute

SB 175 expanded Ohio's self-defense law by enacting § 2901.09 to eliminate the duty to retreat anywhere a person is lawfully present and by extending civil-immunity provisions for non-profit firearm-range owners. Signed by Gov. DeWine January 4, 2021; effective April 6, 2021.

"AN ACT to amend sections 9.68, 307.932, 2305.40, 2901.05, and 2923.16 and to enact section 2901.09 of the Revised Code regarding self-defense and civil liability of nonprofit corporations that operate firearm ranges."

Senate Bill 175 (133rd General Assembly, 2020) statute

Ohio does not impose a proactive duty to volunteer to a law enforcement officer that you are armed — SB 215 (2022) removed that requirement. However, a CHL holder (and any qualifying adult deemed to be a CHL holder under § 2923.111) must disclose 'before or at the time' an officer asks during a law-enforcement stop. Failure to disclose when asked is a misdemeanor of the second degree under § 2923.12(F)(3); convictions under the pre-June 13, 2022 broader version may be expunged under § 2953.35.

"No person who has been issued a concealed handgun license shall do any of the following: (1) If the person is stopped for a law enforcement purpose and is carrying a concealed handgun, before or at the time a law enforcement officer asks if the person is carrying a concealed handgun, knowingly fail to disclose that the person then is carrying a concealed handgun."

ORC § 2923.12(B)(1) and (F)(3) statute

The Attorney General's official Concealed-Carry Laws Manual (June 2022 edition) confirms the SB 215 change: a concealed carrier is no longer required to volunteer the fact of carry but must answer truthfully if asked, must remain in the vehicle with hands in plain sight if stopped in a vehicle, must not touch the firearm, and must comply with lawful orders.

"If you are stopped for a law enforcement purpose and carrying a concealed handgun, you are no longer required to inform the officer that you are carrying. However, if the officer asks whether you are carrying, you must answer truthfully."

Ohio AG Concealed-Carry Manual (June 2022), p.15 ag

Authorizes expungement of specific firearms-related convictions, including pre-June 13, 2022 violations of § 2923.12(B)(1) (the broader proactive duty-to-disclose obligation that SB 215 rolled back) and pre-September 30, 2011 violations of certain § 2923.16 vehicle-carry provisions. The applicant petitions the sentencing court; if granted, all official records of the case are sealed and may not be used in background checks or CHL determinations. Recognizes Ohio's legislative judgment that pre-SB 215 disclosure offenses should not permanently bar the now-lawful carrier.

"An applicant may apply to the sentencing court for the expungement of a record of conviction for a violation of... division (B)(1) of section 2923.12 of the Revised Code as it existed prior to June 13, 2022."

ORC § 2953.35 (Expungement of certain firearms convictions) statute

Knowingly conveying or possessing a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a school safety zone is a felony. A school safety zone includes the school, school building, school premises, school activity, and school bus. A CHL holder may bring a handgun into the zone only to leave it locked in a parked motor vehicle; a permitless carrier may not bring a firearm into a school safety zone at all.

"No person shall knowingly convey, or attempt to convey, a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone."

ORC § 2923.122 (school safety zone) statute

Knowingly conveying or possessing a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance in a courthouse or other building in which a courtroom is located is a felony, subject to narrow exceptions for peace officers, judges, magistrates, court bailiffs, and certain authorized personnel.

"No person shall knowingly convey or attempt to convey a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a courthouse or into another building or structure in which a courtroom is located."

ORC § 2923.123 (courthouse) statute

No person shall possess a firearm in any room in which any person is consuming beer or intoxicating liquor in a premises for which a Class D liquor permit has been issued (or in a D-permitted open-air arena). A CHL holder (and deemed-CHL qualifying adult) may carry into such a premises only if not consuming alcohol and the premises does not post a prohibition.

"No person shall possess a firearm in any room in which any person is consuming beer or intoxicating liquor in a premises for which a D permit has been issued under Chapter 4303."

ORC § 2923.121 (D-permit / alcohol premises) statute

Statutorily-prohibited carry locations for CHL holders include: police stations, sheriff's offices, state highway patrol posts, BCI premises, correctional/detention facilities, restricted airport areas past security, mental-health hospitals operated under § 5119.14(A) or § 5123.03(A)(1), school safety zones (under § 2923.122), courthouses (under § 2923.123), Class D alcohol premises (under § 2923.121), college/university premises (unless locked in vehicle or specifically authorized by the institution), places of worship (unless permitted), most state and political-subdivision government buildings (unless the governing body authorizes), and any place federal law prohibits.

"A valid license does not authorize the licensee to carry a concealed handgun into any of the following places: (1) A police station, sheriff's office, or state highway patrol station... (5) Any premises owned or leased by any public or private college, university, or other institution of higher education... (6) Any church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship, unless the church, synagogue, mosque, or other place of worship posts or permits otherwise..."

ORC § 2923.126(B) statute

Section 5119.14 grants the Ohio Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services authority to maintain, operate, manage, and govern state institutions for the care and treatment of persons with mental illnesses; § 5123.03 grants the Department of Developmental Disabilities the parallel authority for state institutions serving persons with developmental disabilities. These two sections define the 'state-operated mental-health hospital' category that § 2923.126(B) bars CHL holders from carrying into.

"The department of mental health and addiction services shall maintain, operate, manage, and govern state institutions and other services for the care and treatment of persons with mental illnesses."

ORC § 5119.14 / § 5123.03 (state mental-health hospitals) statute

Ohio relies on the federal NICS background check administered through federally licensed firearm dealers; Ohio does not impose a universal background check on private, in-state firearm transfers between unlicensed individuals.

"The National Firearms Act (NFA) imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms."

18 U.S.C. § 922(t) (federal NICS) / ATF atf

Ohio state law sets the minimum age to acquire a firearm: 18 for a long gun and 21 for a handgun, applying to ANY seller — including private sellers — not just federally licensed dealers. Narrow exceptions exist for active-duty military and properly trained law enforcement officers aged 18 to 20.

"No person shall do any of the following: (1) Sell any firearm to a person who is under eighteen years of age; (2) Subject to division (B) of this section, sell any handgun to a person who is under twenty-one years of age."

ORC § 2923.21(A) statute

Federal law requires federally licensed dealers to sell handguns only to buyers age 21 or older, and long guns only to buyers age 18 or older. Ohio's state-level handgun-sale minimum age (21) applies to private sales as well, unlike most states.

"A licensee may not sell a handgun to anyone under the age of 21. A licensee may not sell a long gun to anyone under the age of 18."

18 U.S.C. § 922(b)(1) (federal FFL minimum) atf

Ohio does not require firearm registration. Section 9.68 preempts state and local governments from imposing licensing or registration requirements on firearm possession, ownership, transport, purchase, or carry beyond what is specifically authorized by state or federal law.

"a person, without further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process... may own, possess, purchase, acquire, transport, store, carry, sell, transfer, manufacture, or keep any firearm... without being required to have firearm liability insurance, and without being required to pay a fee for the possession of a firearm."

ORC § 9.68(A) statute

Ohio has not enacted an extreme risk protection order (red flag) law. Chapter 2923 of the Revised Code contains no ERPO provisions; firearm-removal authority is limited to weapons-under-disability prohibitions in § 2923.13 and to existing protection-order frameworks (criminal protection orders, civil-stalking protection orders, and domestic-violence civil protection orders) that may incidentally restrict firearm possession.

"No ERPO provision exists in Chapter 2923 of the Ohio Revised Code."

Ohio Revised Code — no ERPO statute statute

Ohio has no state-level assault-weapon ban. Section 9.68 broadly preempts local governments from regulating firearms, components, or ammunition; any municipal AWB would be void under preemption and subject to the statute's mandatory-fee-shift provision for prevailing challengers.

"Except as specifically provided by the United States Constitution, Ohio Constitution, state law, or federal law, a person, without further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process, including by any ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution, practice, or other action... may own, possess, purchase, acquire, transport, store, carry, sell, transfer, manufacture, or keep any firearm, part of a firearm, its components, and its ammunition."

ORC § 9.68 (preemption); no AWB statute statute

Ohio imposes no magazine-capacity limit. Section 9.68 preempts local governments from imposing one. (Note: ORC § 2923.11 separately defines an 'automatic' firearm to include any semiautomatic firearm 'designed or specially adapted to fire more than thirty-one cartridges without reloading,' a definitional trigger for the state's restriction on automatic firearms — but this does not impose a general state-wide magazine cap on standard semiautomatic firearms.)

"Except as specifically provided by the United States Constitution, Ohio Constitution, state law, or federal law, a person... may own, possess, purchase, acquire, transport, store, carry, sell, transfer, manufacture, or keep any firearm, part of a firearm, its components, and its ammunition."

ORC § 9.68 (preemption); no capacity statute statute

Suppressors, short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns, and machine guns are regulated under the federal National Firearms Act and require ATF registration; possession by a person in full compliance with federal law is lawful in Ohio.

"The National Firearms Act (NFA) imposes a statutory excise tax on the manufacture and transfer of certain firearms and mandates the registration of those firearms."

26 U.S.C. ch. 53 (National Firearms Act) / ATF atf

Ohio's 'dangerous ordnance' definition includes automatic firearms, sawed-off firearms, firearm suppressors (mufflers/silencers), and certain explosive devices. Possession of dangerous ordnance is generally prohibited under § 2923.17, except for persons who hold the applicable federal license or registration and are in full compliance with the National Firearms Act and federal Gun Control Act — meaning lawful NFA-registered suppressors, machine guns, and short-barreled firearms are permitted to Ohio residents who meet federal requirements.

"'Dangerous ordnance' means any of the following, except as provided in division (L) of this section: (1) Any automatic or sawed-off firearm... (4) Any firearm muffler or suppressor..."

ORC § 2923.11(K) ('dangerous ordnance' definition) statute

Ohio's general prohibition on possession of dangerous ordnance. 'No person shall knowingly acquire, have, carry, or use any dangerous ordnance.' Violation is a felony of the fifth degree. Read together with the definitional carve-out at § 2923.11(L) and the NFA-compliance allowance in § 2923.11(K), this is the operative ban on machine guns, sawed-off firearms, and other 'dangerous ordnance' — but it does not reach persons in full compliance with the federal National Firearms Act registration and licensing requirements.

"No person shall knowingly acquire, have, carry, or use any dangerous ordnance."

ORC § 2923.17 (Unlawful possession of dangerous ordnance) statute

Ohio is a strong-preemption state. Section 9.68 declares the individual right to keep and bear arms a fundamental right and preempts any county, city, township, or other political-subdivision ordinance, rule, regulation, resolution, practice, or other action that imposes a license, fee, restriction, delay, or process on firearm ownership, possession, purchase, transport, storage, carrying, sale, transfer, manufacture, or insurance requirement. Adversely affected persons may sue political subdivisions for damages, declaratory and injunctive relief, with mandatory reasonable expenses (including attorney's fees) for prevailing plaintiffs.

"the state by this section preempts, supersedes, and declares null and void any such further license, permission, restriction, delay, or process."

ORC § 9.68 statute

SB 175 enacted ORC § 2901.09, eliminating any duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of one's residence anywhere a person lawfully has a right to be. Signed by Gov. DeWine on January 4, 2021; effective April 6, 2021.

"AN ACT to amend sections 9.68, 307.932, 2305.40, 2901.05, and 2923.16 and to enact section 2901.09 of the Revised Code regarding self-defense and civil liability of nonprofit corporations that operate firearm ranges."

Senate Bill 175 (2020) — Stand Your Ground statute

SB 215 enacted ORC § 2923.111, authorizing 'qualifying adults' (age 21+, not federally or state-prohibited) to carry concealed handguns without a license, and amended § 2923.12 to remove the proactive duty to inform police of carry — leaving only a duty to disclose if asked. Signed by Gov. DeWine on March 14, 2022; effective June 13, 2022.

"AN ACT To amend sections 1547.69, 2923.12, 2923.121, 2923.122, 2923.123, 2923.126, 2923.128, 2923.16, and 2953.37 and to enact section 2923.111 of the Revised Code regarding a concealed handgun licensee's duty to carry the license and notify a law enforcement officer if the licensee is carrying a concealed handgun, and a right of a qualifying adult to carry a concealed handgun in the same manner as if the person was a licensee."

Senate Bill 215 (2022) — Permitless Carry statute

Ohio's state-level firearm-prohibition statute. A person is prohibited from knowingly acquiring, having, carrying, or using a firearm or dangerous ordnance if the person is a fugitive from justice, has been convicted of a felony offense of violence or any drug-trafficking/abuse felony, is drug or alcohol dependent or in chronic alcoholism, or has been adjudicated mentally incompetent or committed to a mental institution. Violation is a felony of the third degree. This is the state-law counterpart referenced in the 'qualifying adult' permitless-carry test under § 2923.111 and is one of the firearm-removal bases cited in the absence of a red-flag statute.

"Unless relieved from disability under operation of law or legal process, no person shall knowingly acquire, have, carry, or use any firearm or dangerous ordnance, if any of the following apply: (1) The person is a fugitive from justice."

ORC § 2923.13 (Having weapons while under disability) statute

The federal Gun Control Act bars nine categories of persons from possessing firearms or ammunition: felons; fugitives from justice; unlawful users of or addicts to controlled substances; persons adjudicated mentally defective or committed to a mental institution; illegal aliens or nonimmigrant aliens; persons dishonorably discharged from the armed forces; persons who have renounced U.S. citizenship; persons under a qualifying domestic-violence protection order; and persons convicted of a misdemeanor crime of domestic violence. Ohio's permitless-carry 'qualifying adult' test under § 2923.111 expressly incorporates these federal prohibitions.

"It shall be unlawful for any person... who has been convicted in any court of, a crime punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year... to ship or transport in interstate or foreign commerce, or possess in or affecting commerce, any firearm or ammunition."

18 U.S.C. § 922(g)(1)-(9) (federal prohibited-person categories) atf

HB 99 amended ORC § 2923.122 to allow a board of education or governing body of a chartered nonpublic or community school to authorize specifically named school employees to convey or possess a deadly weapon in a school safety zone after completing 24 hours of initial training (plus 8 hours annual recurring training) and passing a Department of Public Safety background check. The act overrode the Ohio Supreme Court's Gabbard v. Madison Local School Dist. requirement of full peace-officer training. Signed by Gov. DeWine June 13, 2022; effective September 12, 2022.

House Bill 99 (134th General Assembly, 2022)

SB 215 enacted ORC § 2923.111, allowing a 'qualifying adult' (21+, not federally or state-prohibited) to carry a concealed handgun without a license. The same act amended ORC § 2923.12 to remove the proactive duty to inform police of carry, retaining only the duty to disclose when asked. Signed by Gov. DeWine March 14, 2022; effective June 13, 2022.

Senate Bill 215 (134th General Assembly, 2022)

SB 175 enacted ORC § 2901.09, eliminating any duty to retreat before using force in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of residence anywhere the person is lawfully present. Signed by Gov. DeWine January 4, 2021; effective April 6, 2021.

Senate Bill 175 (133rd General Assembly, 2020)