Campus carry passes Ohio legislature

The bill passed the state house and senate by overwhelming margins.

In the wake of the Ohio State terrorist attack that sent 12 people to the hospital, Ohio senators approved a bill that would allow licensed gun owners to carry their concealed weapons on campus.

State senators passed the bill with a vote of 22-8 on Friday, following a 68-25 vote of approval by state representatives late Thursday evening, reports Reuters.

The bill will now be sent to the desk of Governor John Kasich (R). If signed into law, Ohio public universities will have the option to allow concealed carry on their campuses.

Less than two weeks ago, an Ohio State student and Somalian refugee stabbed and ran over students before a campus police officer who responded to the scene shot him dead.

The quick passage of the campus carry bill appears to be a response to the attack, however, Buckeyes for Concealed Carry on Campus contend that the bill doesn’t go far enough because it only transfers the decision to enact concealed carry to the university administrators.

“[The bill] allows universities to "opt-in" to campus carry,” the group states on their Facebook page. “However, we know from our lawsuit vs The Ohio State University that our administrators will not choose to do so. This effectively makes no real change for those of us with actual skin in the game; students, faculty, and staff.”

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