Here's something that makes sense for once.
Ohio is a constitutional carry state—unless you're between 18 and 21 years old. Then you're basically out of luck. You can legally own a handgun in Ohio at 18, but carry it concealed? Nope. Not allowed. Even though you're a legal adult who can vote, join the military, sign contracts, and all that adult stuff.
State Sen. Al Cutrona is trying to fix that with his "Freedom to Carry Act." The bill would lower the minimum age for a concealed carry license from 21 to 18, giving those young adults a pathway to exercise their Second Amendment rights.
And that's not all. The legislation also addresses some truly absurd current law. Right now in Ohio, you can be charged with improper handling of a firearm—a fourth-degree felony punishable by 18 months in prison and a $5,000 fine—for transporting long guns like shotguns or rifles in a vehicle if ammunition is in or near the gun, even if you have a concealed carry license.
Think about that. You're driving your shotgun from one piece of property to another to go hunting, and suddenly you're looking at felony charges because you had shells in the same vehicle? That's ridiculous. This bill would fix that nonsense so law-abiding citizens don't unintentionally break the law while doing something perfectly reasonable.
Is this perfect? No. Constitutional carry should extend to all adults 18 and up. But I'll take incremental progress over nothing. Every step forward on gun rights matters, even if it's not everything we want. The naysayers will scream about "blood in the streets," but we've heard those same tired arguments every time gun laws get loosened—and somehow civilization hasn't collapsed.
If you're one of my customers under 21 who wants to carry for self-defense, this bill would finally give you that option. And if you hunt and drive your guns around, this would keep you from becoming a felon for doing things the responsible way.
Good legislation that respects adult rights and fixes broken laws? Count me in.