A law that allows eligible adults 21 and over to carry any kind of firearm in Ohio without a permit starts on Monday.
Steven Loewengart is the regional managing partner of the law firm Fisher & Phillips.
"We've gone from being a concealed carry state to what's called a 'constitutional carry state,'" he said. "Folks qualify if they're 21 years of age, not under any sort of legal complications that are listed in current Ohio law."
There are two big changes to the concealed carry law. One waives the previously required eight hours of training with a minimum of two hours of in-person range time and live fire training.
The other, Loewengart says, doesn't require people to "promptly inform" law enforcement that they have a concealed weapon.
"But must disclose that they have a gun if they are asked. Those are big changes," he said.
Loewengart adds that the new law could pose challenges to enforcement.
"Because we're dealing with concealed weapons, you can't see them, he said. "Now, you don't have to announce that you have a concealed weapon if you're being stopped by law enforcement. It's all very, very murky. It's going to be hard to keep a handle on it."
Privately owned businesses will still have the power to prohibit firearms in the workplace, whether it's an employee or customer. Owners can also prohibit firearms from company-owned vehicles.
But business owners cannot limit those people from storing guns in their personal vehicles, Loewengart said.
"So if you have an employee who meets the requirements of keeping the gun locked in a special way in the car, that law still applies as an exception to banning firearms totally from the workplace," he said. "Keep in mind that if your policy talks about how these guns in private vehicles, not company vehicles, if that is spelled out in a policy, and it contains words such as licensed firearm, that those policies might need to be changed."
A concealed carry license will still be required in school zones and remain banned in federally restricted areas, like courthouses.
