Akron-area police, firearms instructors react to Ohio's new 'constitutional carry' gun law - Akron Beacon Journal

Area police this summer will face an increased challenge, as the state's new constitutional carry law takes effect in June. How the change will affect day-to-day duties, as well as efforts to curb gun violence, remains to be seen.

The law, effective June 12, will allow adults 21 or older who are legally allowed to own firearms to carry a concealed weapon without a permit, eliminating mandatory firearms training and background check requirements. It also removes the requirement for gun owners to tell police they are armed. Instead, police will have to ask, but lying about a concealed weapon will be a misdemeanor.

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It's not clear how the new law will affect Akron's efforts to curb gun crime, part of which involve seizing firearms from people carrying illegally, either because they have felony convictions or haven't obtained a concealed carry permit.

So far, the city has not determined how many of the hundreds of weapons police seize each year would have remained on the street under the new law. While figures for 2021 were not immediately available, the department seized around 1,700 firearms in 2020.

"The vast majority of the people that we arrested were folks who were prohibited from possessing in the first place. That element will always be out there," said Akron Police Lt. Michael Miller.

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Assessing new gun rules

Miller said the department is still trying to sort out how the change will affect policing on a day-by-day basis.

"The things that we care about in terms of enhancing public safety remains the same. This law, of course, presents challenges, but we're going to look forward to our opportunities to continue educating with the public," Miller said.

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He said the present situation is somewhat similar to the change police had to deal with when concealed carry was first allowed in 2004.

"When this CCW thing first came into existence there was this fear, much of it was this fear was premature," he said. "It didn't really create an adverse, negative thing in terms of safety for officers, and I suspect it will be the same way with this."

In addition to those with felony convictions, police will still encounter underage individuals who are illegally carrying concealed weapons.

"We just had two people the other day, 18- and 19-year-old. If the law were in effect, they would still be in violation because they were not old enough," Miller said.

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Cuyahoga Falls Police Capt. Todd Shafer said the city's law department and police training officers are reviewing the law.

He said one of the most common weapons violations involves people found with concealed weapons during traffic stops. He said they are generally charged with improper handling of a firearm in a motor vehicle.

Their guns are confiscated and usually destroyed, although the gun owners can petition the court to have their weapons returned.

County sheriff to adjust permit process

Since the new law eliminates the requirement to obtain a concealed carry weapons permit, Summit County Sheriff Kandy Fatheree said she expects to scale back permitting operations.

“We expect a drop-off in the number of CCW applications going forward," she said. "Our plan for this year was to possibly open additional CCW offices in the north and south of the county, but that plan is being put on hold now. Depending on how things go over the coming months, we may consider moving all CCW processing to our Tallmadge Road office and out of the jail completely.”

According to the Ohio Attorney General's Office, which tracks CCW permit statistics, Summit County issued about 1,900 new CCW licenses and renewed just over 2,000. The county also denied 78 license applications, revoked nine licenses and suspended 15.

Fatheree said she is concerned that police and deputies no longer will have timely information regarding whether people are carrying firearms.

“The vast majority of gun owners are responsible, law-abiding citizens. This new law will not have any significant impact on the relationship between responsible gun owners and law enforcement," Fatheree said. "However, what I’m concerned about is the elimination of the requirement that individuals with a concealed weapon inform members of law enforcement that they have one on them if they are pulled over."

She said elimination of the CCW license requirement also removes officers' ability to look up whether someone they are stopping might have a concealed weapon.

"I have over 400 deputies under my command that I am responsible for. These particular provisions worry me, and I fear they have the potential to create some tense and potentially dangerous interactions.”

She also noted that dozens of people each year are turned down for CCW licenses.

“I’m also concerned about the elimination of background checks in order to legally conceal carry. Thousands of CCW applications are denied every year in Ohio because the applicant had a history of violent criminal behavior or was subject to a protection order. If even just one of those denials resulted in somebody’s life being saved, I would consider that process worthy of keeping.”

Pro-gun rights, pro training

In response to Gov. Mike DeWine's signing of the new law, the pro-gun rights Buckeye Firearms Association said the change protects the rights of 4 million firearms owners in the state.

"This is a great moment for Ohio and for those who wish to more fully exercise their Constitutional right to keep and bear arms," the group stated in a release.

However, the elimination of training requirements will impact those businesses that now teach gun owners both how to shoot and when to shoot their weapons, said Glen Workman, owner of Workman Firearms Co., which operates Range 42 in Norton and Brunswick/Medina.

Ohio law currently requires conceal carry permit holders to attend eight hours of training, which includes two hours spent at a gun range firing a weapon. Concealed carry permits will still be available for people who want to carry across certain state lines, but they will be optional for those carrying across Ohio.

Workman, a former Marine and military contractor who served in Somalia and Iraq, said CCW training makes up about 30% of his business and involves much more than simply learning how to shoot.

"We're pro-Second Amendment of course, and we feel it's a constitutional right, but the class is really geared more toward the legal aspects of what you can and cannot do and the legal aspects of owning a firearm and using deadly force.

"Just because you can shoot, doesn't mean you should ... you could get into a lot of legal trouble if you don't know what you're doing," he said.

He said Range 42 plans to offer an abbreviated four-hour class that will highlight some basics of firearms law.

It will still offer CCW classes for those who want to obtain permits that are honored when traveling in other states that recognize Ohio concealed carry permits, including all states that border Ohio.

"Without the license, you're not going to have reciprocity," Workman said.

At least 21 U.S. states already allow their residents to conceal guns without a permit, according to the U.S. Concealed Carry Association.

Adam Kusicki, who manages Range 42 in Norton, said that although he supports gun rights, he noted the Second Amendment also mentions a "well-regulated militia."

Kusicki, who served as an Army military policeman with a tour in Afghanistan, now offers private training in firearms proficiency and tactics.

"I believe everyone should have the right to bear arms, but we're removing the 'well-regulated' part when we're doing this so-called constitutional carry," he said.

Eric Marotta can be reached at 330-541-9433, or [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @MarottaEric

source: https://www.beaconjournal.com/story/news/2022/03/19/akron-police-firearms-instructors-react-constitutional-carry-gun-law-ccw-no-permit-required/7051914001/

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