State Representative Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) has announced that the Ohio House of Representatives passed House Bill 495, legislation that authorizes the automatic validity in Ohio of a concealed handgun license issued by another state as long as that jurisdiction recognizes Ohio’s license without the need for a reciprocity agreement.

Current law requires the Attorney General to negotiate reciprocity agreements with other states if the other state had eligibility requirements similar to Ohio’s licensure requirements. H.B. 495 will eliminate that requirement, and instead authorizes the Attorney General to determine if another state automatically recognizes Ohio concealed carry licenses without written reciprocity agreements.

In addition to clarifying reciprocity across state lines, this legislation updates the definition of a loaded gun in an automobile to reflect that a magazine containing ammunition must be inserted in the firearm for the gun to be considered loaded. Currently, a gun is considered loaded if both the gun and a loaded clip or speed loader are in a vehicle together. The bill will change the definition so that the gun is not considered loaded unless the speed loader or clip is inserted into the firearm. Furthermore, the bill eliminates the demonstrated competency requirement for a CCW license renewal, instead only requiring applicants to provide proof of training to renew.