OMA Asks for Veto of Bring Your Gun to Work Bill

During the last week of lame duck session, Ohio lawmakers passed a controversial gun bill that will impact public and private employers across the state.  Under Senate Bill 199, employees with concealed carry licenses will now be permitted to bring their firearms to work, so long as the firearms remain in their vehicles.

The bill also prohibits business entities and property owners from establishing a policy that bans concealed carry licensees from transporting or storing firearms in their privately-owned vehicles.

Though the bill does not impact an employer’s ability to ban individuals from having a firearm inside the employer’s buildings or employer-owned or leased vehicles, employers should be prepared to revisit their weapons in the workplace policies in the upcoming months.

Lawmakers also merged into the bill another gun-related measure (House Bill 48), which expands the places concealed carry is permitted to include previously gun-free zones such as universities, daycares, and more.

Here is an analysis of the bill from OMA counsel, Bricker & Eckler.

The estimated effective date of the new law is late March 2017, unless vetoed by the governor.

OMA wrote this letter to Gov. Kasich asking for his veto of this bill.  If your company is concerned about the bill, then you might also want to write Governor Kasich in the next couple days as he is considering his veto options. 12/14/2016