(COLUMBUS, Ohio)— Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine today
announced that Ohioans with concealed carry permits will be able to use those
permits in five additional states. Pursuant to changes adopted in House Bill
234 of the 130th General Assembly, Ohio now has concealed carry
permit reciprocity with Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire, Texas, and Wisconsin.
House Bill 234 strengthened background check procedures by
requiring sheriffs to contact the federal National Instant Criminal Background
Check System (NICS) to verify that a concealed carry applicant is lawfully
eligible to possess a firearm in the United States. This change allowed
Attorney General DeWine to execute a concealed carry reciprocity agreement with
Texas, which already had such standards.
Additionally, House Bill 234 provides that a concealed
carry permit issued by another state is valid in Ohio so long as the permit
holder is not an Ohio resident and is in the state temporarily. This change allowed Attorney General DeWine to confirm similar reciprocity privileges for Ohio citizens
with Colorado, Georgia, New Hampshire, and Wisconsin.
Including the five additional states, Ohio now has concealed
carry reciprocity with 28 total states. Ohio had already confirmed reciprocity
with Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Idaho, Kansas, Kentucky,
Louisiana, Michigan, Missouri, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota,
Nebraska, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Virginia, Washington, West
Virginia, and Wyoming.
The changes enacted by House Hill 234 became effective today. The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has
updated its concealed carry laws manual, as well as the State of Ohio concealed
carry license and renewal application to reflect the changes in law. The manual
is available online at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/CCWManual,
and the application is available at www.OhioAttorneyGeneral.gov/CCWApplication.
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