coming june 13, 2022
What Does Constitutional Carry Mean in Ohio?
What does this new law mean for Ohio gun owners?
Not sure how to train?
Whether you’re:
- nervous to go to range by yourself
- wanting to get better at shooting
- looking to get next level better
…we get it. This is why we’re here to help.
At Armed2Defend, this range training is for all levels of shooters. The instructor works at your level for improvement!
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Hi there, we're
Armed2Defend.
We're certified instructors who want to help you improve your shooting skills.
Since 2010, we’ve trained around 25,000 in our Ohio concealed carry courses. We’ve also trained over 700 NRA and USCCA Certified Instructors and have earned nearly 1000 5-star reviews on Google, plus over 460 Facebook recommendations from our graduates. Additionally, we’ve won the Angie’s List Super Service Award since 2013.
But, here’s what matters way, way more to us: These accomplishments mean nothing if we fail to serve you. That’s why, for each student we teach, the world turns off for a window of time, and we zero in hard on how we can help you practically learn how to build shooting confidence and skill.
We can't wait to meet you!
constitutal carry in ohio
What Does the New Law Change
Here are the three major changes that S.B. 215 will bring on June 13, 2022:
You don't need a license to conceal carry a handgun in Ohio!
Starting June 13, 2022, the requirement for the concealed carry license is removed. This doesn’t mean that the license is no longer available or that the training requirement to get the license has changed. The license and training requirements remain the same.
So then who can carry in Ohio without a concealed carry license. The new law uses the term “qualifying adult”. So what is a qualifying adult? The simple answer is that anyone who could pass the license requirements (without training) and background check to get the license.
Here is how they define a “qualifying adult” (Ohio Legislative Service Commission S.B 215 Bill Analysis):
- A person who is 21 years of age or older;
- A person who is not legally prohibited from possessing or receiving a firearm under specified federal or state law;
- A person who satisfies the following specified criteria necessary to obtain a concealed handgun license:
- A person who is legally living in the United States;
- A person who is at least 21 years of age;
- A person who is not a fugitive from justice;
- A person who is not under indictment for or otherwise charged with a felony; an offense under R.C. Chapter 2925, 3719, or 4729 that involves the illegal possession, use, sale, administration, or distribution of or trafficking in a drug of abuse; a misdemeanor offense of violence; or a violation of negligent assault or falsification of a concealed handgun license;
- Unless sealed or expunged or a minor misdemeanor, a person who has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a felony or an offense under R.C. Chapter 2925, 3719, or 4729 that involves the illegal possession, use, sale, administration, or distribution of or trafficking in a drug of abuse; has not been adjudicated a delinquent child for committing an act that if committed by an adult would be a felony or would be an offense under R.C. Chapter 2925, 3719, or 4729 that involves the illegal possession, use, sale, administration, or distribution of or trafficking in a drug of abuse; has not been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or adjudicated a delinquent child for committing a violation of assault when the victim of the violation is a peace officer, regardless of whether the person was sentenced under R.C. 2903.13(C)(4) (a penalty enhancement for assault, from a first degree misdemeanor to a fourth degree felony, when the victim is a peace officer, BCII investigator, firefighter, or EMS provider and the assault occurs while they are in the performance of their official duties); and has not been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or adjudicated a delinquent child for committing any other offense that is not previously described that is a misdemeanor punishable by imprisonment for a term exceeding one year;
- Unless sealed or expunged or a minor misdemeanor, a person who, within the past
three years, has not been convicted of or pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor offense
of violence other than a misdemeanor violation of resisting arrest or a violation of
assault when the victim of the violation is a peace officer, or a misdemeanor
violation of falsification of a concealed handgun license; and has not been
adjudicated a delinquent child for committing an act that if committed by an adult
would be a misdemeanor offense of violence other than a misdemeanor violation of
resisting arrest or a violation of assault when the victim of the violation is a peace
officer or for committing an act that if committed by an adult would be a
misdemeanor violation of falsification of a concealed handgun license; - Except as provided in the second preceding dot point, a person who, within the past
five years, has not been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or adjudicated a delinquent
child for committing two or more violations of assault or negligent assault; - Unless sealed or expunged or a minor misdemeanor, a person who, within the past
ten years, has not been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or adjudicated a delinquent
child for committing a violation of resisting arrest; - A person who has not been adjudicated as a mental defective, has not been
committed to any mental institution, is not under adjudication of mental
incompetence, has not been found by a court to be a mentally ill person subject to
court order, and is not an involuntary patient other than one who is a patient only
for purposes of observation; - A person who is not currently subject to a civil protection order, a temporary
protection order, or a protection order issued by a court of another state; - A person who currently is not subject to a suspension of a concealed handgun
license or a temporary emergency license under certain circumstances or a similar
suspension imposed by another state regarding a concealed handgun license issued
by that state; - If the person is not a United States citizen, a person who is an alien and has not been
admitted to the United States under a nonimmigrant visa; - A person who has not been discharged from the armed forces of the United States
under dishonorable conditions; - A person who has not been convicted of, pleaded guilty to, or adjudicated a
delinquent child for committing a violation of domestic violence or a similar violation
in another state.
Removes the duty to inform officers in Ohio
- Before the officer approaches, roll down your window and place your hands in plain view on the steering wheel.
-
Calmly tell the officer that you have a license to carry a concealed handgun and that you have a handgun with you.
Ask if the officer has particular instructions concerning the handgun. - Do not touch or attempt to touch your handgun unless specifically told to by the officer.
- Do not exit your vehicle unless specifically told to by the officer.
- Comply with all lawful orders given by the officer.
Eliminates the requirement that a concealed carry licensee must carry the concealed carry license
The new law will eliminate the need for an Ohio concealed carry license holder to carry the license in Ohio. This means that you might be able to remove a card from your wallet. But remember that if you plan to carry outside of Ohio, you better bring your concealed handgun license.
Read more about this change on page 6 of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission S.B 215 Bill Analysis.
constitutal carry in ohio
Should I still get a License?
Here are three reasons why you should still get a license:
Travel with your concealed handgun
Starting June 13, 2022, you might not need a license in Ohio but many state’s aren’t constitutional carry and they will require that you still have the Ohio license if you want to carry in them.
Currently, the Ohio license is honored in 39 states.
Of these states, 23 are constitutional carry. So without the Ohio license, you’ll be able to carry a concealed handgun in 23 states. North Dakota is a constitutional carry state but only for their residents, it is not included in the 23.
Here is the list of states. The Constitutional Carry states allow you to carry without a license. The states that honor Ohio’s license requires Ohio’s license to be able to carry in them. The states that don’t honor Ohio’s license would either require a different license or you won’t be able to carry in them.
It is important to understand the laws for each state before you plan to travel with your handgun. This free guide from the USCCA keeps you updated with the current state laws: http://a2d.life/map
Constitutional Carry
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- Idaho
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Maine
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- New Hampshire
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- West Virginia
- Wyoming
Honor's Ohio License
- Colorado
- Delaware
- Florida
- Georgia
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Mexico
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Pennsylvania
- South Carolina
- Virginia
- Washington
- Wisconsin
Does Not Honor Ohio's License
- California
- Connecticut
- Hawaii
- Illinois
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Minnesota
- New Jersey
- New York
- Oregon
- Rhode Island
School zones
One benefit to the Ohio concealed carry license is that you can have your gun in your car on school property. At this time it is unclear if non-license holders will have this same benefit. The Ohio Attorney General is working on this and we’ll update as soon as we hear.
Eliminates the requirement that a concealed carry licensee must carry the concealed carry license
The new law will eliminate the need for an Ohio concealed carry license holder to carry the license in Ohio. This means that you might be able to remove a card from your wallet. But remember that if you plan to carry outside of Ohio, you better bring your concealed handgun license.
Read more about this change on page 6 of the Ohio Legislative Service Commission S.B 215 Bill Analysis.
What to expect at this range training?
Relax and enjoy the training! We’ll be sure that your experience is safe and effective.
WHAT TO BRING?
We'll need to use your ID for check-in.
If you have a gun, bring it unloaded and in a closed bag, box, or case. Please don't remove it until directed by the instructor.
Ammo for your gun. At a minimum you'll shoot 20 shots but you can shoot more.
If you don't own a gun yet, you can rent a 22 lr caliber pistol and ammo for the training for $10.
Eye and ear protection or you can borrow ours for free.
WHEN YOU ARRIVE
Arrive and park at our range in Canal Winchester, OH. The full address will be given after you register. It is on private property and no visiting outside of scheduled sessions is allowed.
We'll start check-in around 20 minutes or so before the start of the session. You're welcome to come into the range building when you're ready.
CHECK-IN
We'll take a photo of your ID (driver's license or state ID).
You'll fill out a release waiver.
WE'LL GET STARTED ON TIME
Please be sure to arrive 10-15 minutes early so that we can complete check-in and get started on time.
INTRODUCTION
We'll start each session with a brief introduction.
Most sessions will have an USCCA representative to discuss what happens after you act in self-defense and to answer your questions about self-defense aftermaths.
Then we'll do a range brief to go through the range rules and expectations before shooting.
SHOOTING
Once the instruction begins, depending on the number of participants, you might be in the first or second batch of students to work with the instructors. If you are in the second group, be sure to watch the instruction and tips the instructors are giving while waiting. You'll probably get some of the same tips and instruction when it's your turn.
After you're finished working with the instructor you can either continue to shoot more or leave.
At the end of the scheduled range time, the range will shut down and the session will end.
You might still be wondering...
No, this is range training to build proper and safe techniques.
If you want to get your license, you can see our upcoming classes on this page.
Our range is on private property in Canal Winchester, Ohio (20 minutes southeast of Columbus, Ohio). Our range is covered but mostly open air. We have heaters or fans depending on the temperature, but you’ll want to dress for the weather. We also have lights.
We have range safety equipment that you can borrow for free. These include eye protection and ear protection. We require side shields for glasses to protect from casing that fly sideways.
For a restroom, we have a port-a-pot at the range, but we’re only here for the 2 hours.
Nope!
In fact if you DON’T have a gun yet, we strongly encourage you to wait until after taking the training to purchase one.
I don’t have a handgun:
You can rent a 22 lr caliber pistol and ammo for $10. You can make this payment when you sign up for a session.
Pistol Samper: Don’t know what gun to buy yet? An optional add on to our range training is the opportunity to test fire 15 different concealed carry handguns. The $50 fee to do this also includes the ammunition. This is done in addition to your standard range training. But we’ll have it all done within the 2 hours of range training. This is an awesome value, it would cost more than $50 just to rent one gun at a local range. After you shoot the 15 guns you’ll know what gun you want to buy. This is important because it will be the gun you like to shoot, not the gun someone says you should buy. You also make notes when shooting so that you’ll remember which guns you liked and didn’t like. You can read more about it here. You don’t have to pre-purchase it, you can buy it at the training.
I have a handgun:
If you have a gun, we strongly encourage you to bring it. The training will be much more meaningful to you if you get trained on what you own. You’ll need to provide ammo for the training as well. Typically it is around 20-50 shots for the range training. You can bring ammo or purchase it at the class. We don’t have casing or bullet restrictions on our range. But we want to keep it to standard handguns and not AR style pistols.
To bring your own gun, be sure that it is unloaded, including having your magazines unloaded. And keep it in a closed box, bag, or case. Just something to safely store it so that it isn’t out. You can bring it into the range but don’t take it out of the case until the instructor specifically asks you to take it out. For the safety of everyone in the class, handling a gun without instruction is a quick way to get dismissed from the class.
Nothing!
In fact, we see lots of students week in and week out who have never touched a gun before.
We start at the beginner level. There is no prior knowledge you need to be successful. You are coming to class to have us TEACH you. So don’t try to prepare and learn it all before.
Actually, we find that often the complete newbies are better shooters than people who have some experience!! They are fresh canvases and they soak up the new knowledge. Sometimes experienced shooters have bad habits that are hard to break.
We will teach you everything you need to know. You will walk away with so much knowledge and a new sense of confidence about handling and shooting handguns!
If you haven’t completed a basic course yet, then we highly recommend that first. The classroom portion of the course will cover more details on safety, laws, and shooting techniques then we’ll be able to teach just on the range. You can see our class here.
Anyone 18 or older can take our training course. However, please understand that you must be 21 possess and transport a handgun.
*Please note: Anyone under 21 would not be legally able to transport a gun to class. This is no problem at all. They can rent one of our .22’s. Or if a friend or family member 21+ is also attending the class that day, they can transport a gun for the underage person.
We do require full payment ahead of time. There is a lot that goes into training day preparation on our end. We prepare paperwork specific to each student and hire instructors to assist.
The billing information doesn’t have to registering student for the online transactions. So if you can give the cash to a friend or family member and use their card for the billing section that works just fine.
Please note that we do not have a storefront location for doing in person transactions. We are unable to arrange for in person payments before class.
We choose not to train pregnant women on our range because of the potential for hearing damage to the baby and the exposure to toxic substances (lead) that are an unavoidable part of shooting.
If you feel that you must complete this training, we’ll require a doctor’s note. We’ll keep a copy of it for our records.
Have another question?
Let's talk about it.
Protection is everything.
Give yourself the option to carry.
Get Your Free Ohio CCW Training Guide
The guide includes 5 answers for the concealed carry test.
