Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson is urging state lawmakers to clarify Ohio’s firearm laws, warning in an Oct. 23 release that a recent federal change could leave law-abiding gun owners at risk of breaking state law without knowing it.
Wilson pointed to the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives’ Oct. 9 announcement that it will no longer require approval under the National Firearms Act before making or transferring short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns or suppressors. In a letter to Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman, Wilson said Ohio law still ties lawful possession to that federal registration.
Under Ohio Revised Code sections 2923.11 and 2923.17, suppressors and short-barreled rifles and shotguns are classified as dangerous ordnance. Owning dangerous ordnance is legal only in certain cases, including when the item is registered in the federal National Firearms Act registry, and unlawful possession is a fifth-degree felony.
Wilson wrote that under current Ohio law, Ohioans wishing to own or use a short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun or firearm suppressor must register those items with the federal government or face the risk of criminal prosecution. He told lawmakers that if they see those registration requirements as archaic remnants of an overly restrictive past, it is time to eliminate them from Ohio law.
One bill already moving at the Statehouse would address part of the issue. Senate Bill 214, which would remove suppressors from Ohio’s definition of dangerous ordnance, has passed the Ohio Senate, and supporters expect House consideration. Other proposals would address short-barreled firearms.
Until lawmakers act, the current state law remains in effect, Wilson’s office noted. Gun owners with questions about how the federal change interacts with Ohio law should talk to an attorney, because the state requirements have not changed on their own.
The attorney general’s letter puts the question squarely to the General Assembly in the closing weeks before the Nov. 3 election, with any change requiring action in both chambers and the governor’s signature.