BFA testifies for HB 68 to allow concealed carry in government buildings

On Tuesday, May 20, 2025, Buckeye Firearms Association (BFA) testified before the Ohio House Public Safety Committee in support of House Bill 68, which would allow concealed carry in government buildings with courtrooms when court is not in session and with approval of local authorities.

The bill, sponsored by Reps. Adam Mathews (R-Lebanon) and Justin Pizzulli (R-Scioto County), also would permit nonresidents of Ohio to seek restoration of their Second Amendment rights if they are nonviolent offenders who have repaid their debt to society and have demonstrated their commitment to leading a productive life.

This was the bill’s second hearing, with representatives of the city of Lebanon and National Rifle Association (NRA) also testifying in favor of passage.

Here is the testimony of Rob Sexton, BFA's legislative affairs director:

Madame Chair, members of the House Public Safety Committee,

I am Rob Sexton, Legislative Affairs Director for Buckeye Firearms Association. BFA is Ohio’s premier defender of the Second Amendment. I am here to testify in support of House Bill 68 because it addresses two priorities of the Second Amendment community.

It has been a longtime conviction of BFA that firearm no-carry zones should be extremely rare for law-abiding people and only in places where it is absolutely necessary for safety. BFA has worked consistently over the last 20 years toward the full realization of the rights guaranteed by both the Ohio and US Constitutions. House Bill 68 would allow local governments to enact ordinances permitting people to carry in government buildings that share space with a courtroom, as long as the court is not in session.

Multiuse government buildings are common in Ohio, especially in the more rural and suburban areas of the state that don’t have the large government campuses. When courtrooms and mayor’s courts share space with deputy registrars/title bureaus, etc., government should seek to eliminate soft targets that leave people vulnerable or force them to leave firearms in their cars to comply with the law. This portion of HB 68 puts this decision in the hands of local officials, who can determine the practicality of this approach in relation to their court facilities.

House Bill 68 also addresses one of BFA’s long-standing priorities. The framers of our Constitutions did not envision a lifetime of lost Constitutional protections for low-level offenses. But that is what takes place in Ohio. Current law leaves people who are fully rehabilitated defenseless in their own homes, if they are to remain law abiding. That’s a choice our laws should not force them to make. HB 68 provides a practical approach to Ohio’s restoration provisions for those who have paid their debt to society and live clean and productive lives, who often live in areas of the state where self-defense and the defense of family are of greater concern. We ask this committee to consider both of these Second Amendment priorities and vote to send this bill to the full House for consideration.

Thank you for your time. I am happy to answer any questions you may have.

Related note

BFA again testifies for HB 5 to restore gun rights for nonviolent offenders