SB 214, the Suppressor bill, passed both chambers on November 10, and Governor DeWine’s signature is the last step. The Freedom to Carry Act, SB 392, gets its second hearing on Tuesday, November 17, and the fight over the Speaker’s gavel is out in the open. Plus the AR-15 ban cases on the Supreme Court’s December calendar.
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Pour yourself a cup and give me a few minutes. We got some real good news out of the Statehouse this week, and there’s a hearing Tuesday, November 17 you need to know about.
OHIO: THE SUPPRESSOR BILL PASSED BOTH CHAMBERS. THE GOVERNOR’S SIGNATURE IS THE LAST STEP.
Last Tuesday, November 10, SB 214 went through House Public Safety, the full House and a final Senate vote in a single day. SB 214 takes Suppressors, short barreled rifles and short barreled shotguns off Ohio’s “dangerous ordnance” list. The House committee added the rifles and shotguns to what started as a Suppressor bill, then voted it out 9 to 2.
The House passed it 69 to 27, with six Democrats voting yes. The Senate then agreed to the House changes 21 to 9 on a party line vote. If you made calls or sent emails on this bill, you had a hand in that.
SB 214 has passed both chambers, and Governor DeWine’s signature is the last step.
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17: THE FREEDOM TO CARRY ACT GETS ITS SECOND HEARING
SB 214 isn’t the Freedom to Carry Act. That’s SB 392, the standard version, which rewrites Ohio’s concealed carry license rules, which firearms count as dangerous ordnance, and where you can carry.
On Tuesday, November 17 at 2:00 PM, SB 392 gets its second hearing before the Senate General Government Committee in the North Hearing Room at the Statehouse. It’s a proponent hearing, and our Political Director, Rob Knisley, will be there in person to testify.
No committee vote is planned on SB 392 that day. It’s a hearing, and our chance to make the case on the record. Also on the agenda is SB 303, which would let Ohioans under 21 buy a handgun from a federally licensed dealer.
Ohio has been a permitless carry state since June 13, 2022, and SB 392 is how we finish the job. But the clock is real. Every bill that hasn’t passed dies on December 31. Starting in January, Republicans won’t hold a veto proof majority in the House, so after Governor-elect Amy Acton takes office on January 11, her veto of a gun bill will be much harder to override.
Tuesday, November 17, 2:00 PM: SB 392 and SB 303 hearings, Senate General Government Committee
Wednesday, November 18: Ohio House session
Wednesday, December 2 and Wednesday, December 16: the last scheduled House sessions, with December 9 held if needed
Thursday, December 31: any bill that hasn’t passed dies
THE FIGHT FOR THE SPEAKER’S GAVEL IS OUT IN THE OPEN
Speaker Matt Huffman wants another term. This week he said he has “personally talked to 80% of my caucus who have said they’re supporting me.” Not everybody is on board. Asked who should be Speaker, Rep. Ron Ferguson said, “Anybody but the guy that is now.” And Jason Stephens has hinted he’s open to a return, according to the Statehouse News Bureau.
My position hasn’t changed one bit: A vote for Huffman is a vote against gun owners.
WHAT ELSE HAPPENED THIS WEEK
The Solicitor General gets a seat at the AR-15 ban argument. On Monday, November 9, the Supreme Court granted the U.S. Solicitor General’s request to take part in the oral argument in the AR-15 ban cases, set for Wednesday, December 2. Cook County now claims its case is moot, the challengers have answered, and for now it’s still on the calendar.
The Maryland carry case got relisted again. The justices put Novotny v. Moore, the challenge to Maryland’s “sensitive places” carry restrictions, back on their Friday, November 13 conference list. Any action would come Monday, November 16, but a relist guarantees nothing.
Congress is calling ATF in on its records. On Wednesday, November 18 at 2:00 PM, a House Oversight subcommittee holds a hearing on how ATF keeps records from gun dealers that have gone out of business. It’s an oversight hearing, not a vote.
So that’s the week. A Suppressor bill that passed both chambers, with the governor’s signature as the last step, a Freedom to Carry hearing coming up, and AR-15 bans on the Supreme Court’s December calendar. Throw in a Speaker fight nobody is hiding anymore, and that’s a lot for one week.
If this rundown was worth a few minutes of your Saturday, would you chip in $5? It keeps us in those hearing rooms making the case for your rights.
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For Freedom,
Chris Dorr
Executive Director
Ohio Gun Owners
P.S. On Tuesday, November 17 at 2:00 PM, our Political Director, Rob Knisley, will be in the North Hearing Room to testify for the Freedom to Carry Act. No vote is planned that day, so this is about putting the case on the record while there’s still time left on the calendar. If you can help us keep showing up, chip in $5 here.