Officials take a shot at explaining details of new Ohio conceal-carry law
Officials take a shot at explaining details
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WARREN -- On June 13, a new law went into effect in Ohio that allows qualified adults to carry a loaded, concealed handgun without obtaining a license, taking a firearms course or undergoing a background check.
More than 40 residents, Warren city officials and council members attended an informational meeting Monday hosted by the Warren Northwest Neighborhood Association to hear from local law enforcement and legal experts on Ohio's new carry law.
Warren police Chief Eric Merkel and city assistant law director / police legal adviser Traci Timko Sabau spent an hour explaining aspects of the new law and answering questions on when guns are used for protection.
"The laws are constantly changing in different states with concealed carry," Merkel said. "If you are going to carry concealed out of state, whether you have a permit or not, I recommend you check each state and check out their laws and whether permitless carry means the same there as it does in Ohio."
Merkel said of the 26 states that have gone to permitless carry, most have done this in the last 10 years.
He said if an Ohioan travels with a gun into Pennsylvania, he or she will be good with an Ohio concealed-carry license.
"We have trained our officers and work with the law department on this. We go with the law and make the best of it," Merkel said.
Law enforcement agencies are adapting but will see what the long-term impact, if any, the new law has on public safety and gun violence in general, he said.
Timko Sabau said under the new law, a person may carry a gun inside a vehicle.
"(Under the old law), if you separate completely your gun from your ammunition in the vehicle in a lock box or the trunk, you can carry it in a car," she said. "The constitutional carry says that you don't have to have everything separated or make it inaccessible. It can be on you."
Timko Sabau said private businesses can post signs prohibited any firearms from being inside.
"If you post that sign and someone comes inside with a gun, it is not a gun charge but criminal trespass charge," she said. "If someone goes into a business and consumes alcohol with a gun on them, it is a gun charge."
But Timko Sabau said police are prohibited from any enforcement of gun prohibitions in a parking lot.
Churches can prohibit weapons inside a church building unless it is allowed by that church.
Resident Susan Carney of Warren asked if someone breaks into a home, does the resident have to announce that she has a gun? Timko Sabau said the use of lethal force is fully permitted to protect oneself inside a home or vehicle if facing serious harm or death. The Ohio "stand your ground" law allows a person to protect himself with a gun when he believes he is in danger even if he could have fled or retreated, she said.
"If you pull that trigger ever, it is because someone is coming through the door of your house or coming into your car and you believe that your life is in danger and that is why you are shooting and acting accordingly," Timko Sabau said.
Bob Weitzel, vice president of the neighborhood association, said many people are faced with situations in which they believe they have to use a weapon to defend themselves or help prevent someone else from being harmed.
Merkel and Timko Sabau recommended that anyone carrying a gun get the needed hours of training in a class and instruction on a shooting range.
Under Ohio law a concealed handgun may be carried in some places but not others:
Forbidden carry zones:
Law enforcement offices;
Correctional institutions;
Airport passenger terminals;
Facilities for care of mentally ill;
Courthouses or buildings with a courtroom;
Universities;
Places of worship;
Government facilities;
School buildings, buses and safety zones;
Private property with appropriate signage.
Permissable carry zones:
Roadside rest areas;
State parks and forests;
Private aircraft;
Private vehicles;
Non-secure areas at airports, such a parking garages;
Day care centers;
School premises if the gun is locked in a vehicle;
Parking areas of private employers with gun locked in a vehicle.