Preparing for Ohio's New Gun Law

information provided by Fisher Phillips

On March 21, 2017,  a new Ohio gun law goes into effect that will expand the rights of concealed carry permit holders, allow active duty members of the armed forces to carry weapons without a concealed carry license if certain conditions are met, and broaden the scope of places where concealed carry license holders may carry guns. 

This new law gives individuals with valid concealed handgun licenses the right to bring their licensed firearms into your parking lot, which many dealers currently prohibit in their weapons policies.  Specifically, under the new law, you may no longer have a policy banning a person with a valid concealed handgun license from transporting or storing a firearm or ammunition inside the person’s privately-owned motor vehicle, provided the following conditions are met:

• When the license holder is absent from the vehicle, the firearm and ammunition must be locked in the trunk, glove box, or other enclosed compartment of the person’s vehicle;
• When the license holder is present in the vehicle, the firearm and ammunition must remain in the vehicle; and
• The license holder’s vehicle must be parked in a permitted location. R.C. §2123.1210

If you have not already done so, you need to review and update your policies regarding weapons in the workplace to allow individuals with valid Ohio concealed carry licenses to bring their weapons in their privately-owned vehicles, in accordance with the above provisions of the new law. Dealerships who do not want to announce that employees and other individuals can store their weapons in their privately-owned vehicles while on Dealership property may elect to remain silent on the topic in their weapons policies. However, Dealerships who elect to remain silent on the topic should train their managers not to prohibit individuals from lawfully storing a gun in their privately-owned vehicles. Additionally, you can still prohibit individuals from carrying their weapons into Dealership-owned buildings or Dealership- or customer-owned vehicles, if you choose to do so. 

If you had a new employee handbook prepared as a part of the Fisher Phillips/OADA program within the last 12 months, we will be sending you an updated policy.  If you have any questions about this new law or if you need assistance updating your existing policies, contact Melanie Webber, Maribeth Wuertz, or Melissa Dials at (440) 838-8800.