Starting in a few months, people in Ohio will be able to carry concealed firearms in public without a license or training.
On Monday, Republican Gov. Mike DeWine signed into law Senate Bill 215, which permits anyone over age 21 to have a concealed gun on their person unless state or federal law bans them from owning a gun.
Previously, Ohio residents had to take eight hours of training and get a license and a background check to be able to carry concealed weapons.
The bill previously passed the state House and Senate with only Republicans in support. Democrats, as well as law enforcement groups and sheriffs, opposed the legislation, the Columbus Dispatch reported.
When the law takes effect in June, Ohio will become the 23rd U.S. state allowing concealed carry without a license.
States with looser concealed-carry laws have higher rates of handgun homicide, according to a 2017 study.
After nine people died in a mass shooting in Dayton in 2019, the governor addressed a crowd of Ohioans, who chanted at him to “do something.”
