COLUMBUS – A law that would allow most Ohio residents to carry a concealed weapon passed the House on Thursday.

Sunday, March 24, 2002

COLUMBUS – A law that would allow most Ohio residents to carry a concealed weapon passed the House on Thursday.

In a 66-27 vote, the long-debated bill passed the House with the exact number of ”yes” votes the 99-member House would need to override a veto that Gov. Bob Taft has threatened.

Although the bill passed through the House, it still has a long way to go before becoming a law. Both the House and Senate are in recess until late April. In addition, Senate leader Richard Finan will not speculate on whether the hearings will be held before the Legislature goes into an expected summer-long, election-year recess.

The proposal would require applicants to submit to a criminal background check and complete training that includes classroom study and firing range experience.

Those who receive permits could carry concealed weapons except in bars – with an allowance for undercover police officers – schools, universities, airport terminals, prisons and some other locations.

County sheriffs will issue the license to the approved applicant.

State Rep. John Carey, who co-sponsored and voted for the bill, said he is pleased it passed the House.

"I am proud to support this legislation," said Carey. "This measure will allow law-abiding Ohioans to carry concealed weapons, and it’s about time that we join other states across the country in passing responsible concealed-carry legislation."

The Buckeye State Sheriffs’ Association, whose members would issue the permits to carry hidden guns, supports the bill. But the Fraternal Order of Police, the state’s largest police union, the State Highway Patrol and the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, are opposed.