Ohio is not a constitutional carry state and this means that permitless carry within the state is illegal. It is a shall-issue state for the application of firearms. As long as you meet all the necessary requirements demanded by the gun laws of Ohio you can apply for a gun license.

If you are buying firearms from a private dealer in Ohio or in gun shows, you do not need a gun license, neither do you have to complete a criminal background check or register the firearm.

Possession of Firearms in Ohio

Ohio will allow open carry of firearms within the state and without a gun license. However, there are restrictions to where you can open carry in the state.

If you have a gun license issued by Ohio, you will be able to conceal carry in the state. Ohio gun license is only for residents of the state. Nonresidents will be allowed to possess firearms if they own any valid gun permit.

The age requirement to obtain an Ohio gun license is a minimum of 21 years old. You are also obliged to complete a state-approved firearm training that lasts a duration of 8 hours.

The only exception for this license application in Ohio is for active military personnel. They will not have to pay any registration fee and do not need to prove their gun expertise with firearm training.

Application for Ohio Gun License

Ohio gun license application is for residents and nonresidents that are working within Ohio. If nonresidents own a valid Ohio license and he or she is no longer working in the state. The license will not be automatically terminated and the person can use it until it expires.

Application of gun license in Ohio is overseen by the local sheriff of a county of residence. If you do not stay in a county, then you have to visit the one closest to where you stay.

When going to the local sheriff’s office to file your license application, first complete the required form, and take along with you the application fee. You will have a minimum of one month to provide a colored version of your passport. You will provide fingerprints and a certificate issued by an approved firearm trainer to show that you have passed gun testing.

Ohio law will require a certificate to show that you have completely read the state peace commission about the information on the use of dangerous weapons and deadly force.

You will also give details on your desire to own a gun license. This could either be for self-defense reasons, or you are a member of the US military posted to the state, or you need a gun for legal activities with the state.

For nonresident application, you must attach proof that you are employed in Ohio to the application form. If you are not a citizen of the USA, you must state where you are from. You will also have to provide your alien reg. number.

The required age for all applicants must be 21 years old or more. The only exception to this law is those that are military personnel who can apply for a nonresident permit from eighteen years old or more.

Ohio gun license application will also cover NICS criminal background checks. And your test must come out complete before you will be issued an Ohio gun license.

If your gun license is not approved, the sheriff of the local county where you apply will write to you, explaining the reasons why your gun license permit is denied. For reasons that have to do with an incomplete criminal background check, you can challenge the result.

The process for renewing an Ohio gun license does not differ from the application process. However, you will not have to prove your firearm proficiency for permit renewal. Ohio gun license is valid for a period of 5 years after which you have to renew it.

Ohio also issues temporary licenses known as emergency licenses. For these licenses, you do not need to complete firearm training requirements. Temporary licenses are only issued in special circumstances.

To apply for an Ohio temporary license, visit the sheriff’s office in your local county. Nonresidents of Ohio that reside in other states can also visit the local sheriff closest to the Ohio county they stay temporarily.

The applicant for this temporary license will have to prove that their life is endangered by someone they know or a family member. The applicant will also provide an affidavit to prove that he or she is 21 years old or more, and does not have any prohibition for a gun license in Ohio.

Just like the regular license, fingerprints will be taken and a criminal record background check will be completed. Temporary gun licenses in Ohio will only last for 3 months. Temporary gun license owners will still have the same privilege as original license owners. The regulations and sanctions are all the same too.

In situations of denied temporary gun license in Ohio, the sheriff will send you a written mail, explaining in detail why your application is not granted. You can also appeal this too.

Places Where You Cannot Possess Firearms in Ohio

Ohio gun laws prohibit anyone from carrying a firearm in certain parts of the state.

  • You cannot conceal carry in buildings used for children’s care or a daycare home.
  • You cannot conceal carry within the premises of any building used by a public or privately owned college, university, or educational institution. However, universities allow firearms storage in personal vehicles.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in law enforcement offices or any premises under the control of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation and Identification in Ohio.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in courthouses or during a court proceeding.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in capitol buildings of the state.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in prisons, jails, or any other correctional institution in the state.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in the safety zones of airport terminals.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in institutions used for the treatment of mentally deranged and people with any other mental disability.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in any place that has a license to sell alcoholic beverages, if you are under the influence of alcohol, or if there is signage prohibiting the possession of firearms on such premises.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in places of worship unless you have a permit from those in charge to do so.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in any private building, property, or vehicle, as long as there is a post that prohibits firearms.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in state government buildings without permission.
  • You are not allowed to conceal carry in places that are prohibited by gun laws of the state.

Requirements for Gun License Application is Ohio

  • You must be at least twenty-one years old.
  • You must be a resident of Ohio for a minimum of forty-five days and a resident of the local county where you are applying, for a minimum of thirty days.
  • For a non-resident permit, you must be working in Ohio.
  • You must be a legal citizen of the United States of America.
  • You must complete the Ohio concealed carry permit course for firearm training except you are a member of the military, retired, or honorably discharged, with gun training experience proof.
  • You must not be under suspension from using a CCW permit of another state.
  • You must not be a fugitive or have an arrest warrant in your name.
  • You must not be a convict of any felony case, or under any indictment whatsoever.
  • You must not be a convict, or plead guilty to any domestic violence or assault.
  • You must not be a convict or charged with drug trafficking or related crimes, misdemeanor violence crimes, or the assault of a law officer.
  • You must not be a convict or guilty of any of the above crimes for three years before the Ohio concealed carry permit application.
  • You must not be under arrest for falsifying a CCW permit.
  • You must not have any protection order from a court in Ohio or any other state in the USA.
  • You must not be guilty of a multiple delinquent assault charge five years before the CCW permit application.
  • You must not be guilty of resisting arrest that has to do with a criminal charge for ten years before Ohio concealed carry permit application.
  • You must meet all other federal laws for concealed carry permit applications.

Is Constitutional Carry Permitted in Some Parts of Ohio?

Ohio preemption gun law states that only the legislature of the state has the power to regulate various aspects of firearms and ammunition such as possession, sales, taxation, purchasing, manufacture, storage.

The law prohibits any county, municipality, and political subdivision from enacting ordinances, regulations, and laws that will contradict Ohio Gun Laws. This means that constitutional carry in Ohio is not legal in any part of the state.

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