HB450 (Armed Services 18-21 purchase) passes Ohio House with bi-partisan support

With a strong bi-partisan 90-3 vote, the Ohio House of Representatives has passed HB450, sponsored by Representative Bruce Goodwin (R-74).

“This is important legislation,” said Buckeye Firearms Association Chairman Jim Irvine. “We are talking about men and women who volunteered to lay their life on the line for their country and their fellow man. We trust them with the full might of the U.S. military. Surely we can trust them with a handgun when they return home from duty.”

Current Ohio law prohibits persons under the age of 21 from buying a handgun. There is an exemption for persons aged 18-20 who are properly appointed or employed as a law enforcement officer.

The bill would add an exemption for active or reserve members of the armed services or the Ohio National Guard, aged 18-20 who have received firearms training.

"I believe it is time that we extend this basic Second Amendment right to those who choose to serve our country in the military," Goodwin said, "and who choose to put their lives on the line so that we can enjoy that right."

We could not agree more.

Before the bill passed, there was an important floor amendment offered by Goodwin, and which passed 91-2.

In response to recent questions about the residency of Ohioans who deploy to other states, and people from other states who are stationed in Ohio, the amendment clarifies that persons aged 21 and over in our military, either from Ohio or stationed in Ohio, meet the residency requirements for an Ohio Concealed Carry License (CHL).

“These are exactly the people we want carrying guns to protect our society," Irvine said. "They are trained to respond quickly and appropriately to violent situations.”

It would be a travesty for a serviceman to defend others on foreign soil, and then fall victim to a street thug at home because he couldn’t get a license to carry a hand gun. The amendment solves that problem.

We thank all the legislators who supported this bill and ask the Ohio Senate to continue to move this bill through the legislative process. We also thank our men and women in the armed forces and our veterans for their service to our great country. It is appropriate that this bill passed the Ohio House before Memorial Day.

Buckeye Firearms Association is a grassroots political action committee (PAC) dedicated to defending and advancing the right of Ohio citizens to own and use firearms for all legal activities, including self-defense, hunting, competition, and recreation.

Representative Goodwin’s press release

Download HB450 as passed by the Ohio House (16 pages)