LAKE COUNTY, Ohio — Sgt. Robert Harps oversees concealed handgun license applications for the Lake County Sheriff’s Office. He said the numbers this year have dipped a bit since Gov. Mike DeWine signed a new law that eliminates requirements for a license to carry.
“We’ve seen about a 35% decrease in permits, mostly with new applications,” Harps said.
But Harps said you may still need a CHL in Ohio if you plan to take your gun out of state. Without one, you could be charged with a crime if the state you travel to requires one. Harps showed Spectrum News a map of states that recognize Ohio’s concealed carry license.
“If you travel 45 minutes east to Pennsylvania, they are not a permitless carry state, but they do honor the permit from the state of Ohio,” Harps said.
There are other states that don’t accept Ohio’s license, or require a permit from that state to carry at all.
Gun owner Mark Ellers said he still wants to keep his license. He went to Harps’ office for a renewal, just in case the new law ever gets repealed.
“They’ll have to go through all that training again and I don’t want to get caught in that,” Ellers said.
Harps told Spectrum News that the training that’s required to get the license is also a plus since you learn state and federal gun laws.
For example, you’re taught that if you’re stopped by the police, showing your concealed handgun license with your driver’s license is a proper way to tell the officer you’re armed.
“This helps the officer a lot. It shows that even though it’s not required, you went through the training. You understand what is required by the state laws and federal laws,” Harps said.
Harps said now that concealed handgun licenses are not required in Ohio, law enforcement will likely begin asking up front if a person is armed during a traffic stop. Lying to the officer about it is a misdemeanor.
