On Monday Ohio Governor John Kasich (R) signed Senate Bill 199, thereby legalizing concealed carry on college and university campuses where school trustees vote to allow it.
SB 199 also removes a state ban on concealed carry in the public areas of airports and on carrying guns for self-defense at daycares. The status of concealed carry at daycares is now in the hands of individual business owners, who can decide whether to allow concealed carry at their respective businesses.
Cleveland.com reports that SB 199 “also prohibits employers from banning concealed handgun permit holders from bringing guns into company parking lot.” The various aspects of the new law take “effect in 90 days.”
Breitbart News previously reported that Ohio lawmakers responded to the November 28 Ohio State University car and knife attack by placing campus carry language in SB 199, then passing the bill by large margins. Buckeye Firearms Association reported that the legislation passed in the House by a vote of 68-25 and in the Senate by a vote 22-8.
Kasich’s decision to sign SB 199 was opposed by Moms Demand Action, a Michael Bloomberg-funded gun control group staunchly against allowing students to be armed for self-defense. Moms Demand’s Michelle Mueller said, “Governor Kasich ignored the concerns of law enforcement, business leaders, gun violence survivors, moms, daycare providers, campus stakeholders and students.” She added, “By signing Senate Bill 199, Governor Kasich is siding with gun lobby interests over public safety.”
Mueller did not speak to the safety of the unarmed students who were attacked with a car, then chased by an Islamist with a butcher knife on OSU’s campus on November 28.
AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.