Concealed gun expansion heads to Kasich

COLUMBUS - Ohioans could bring concealed guns into more places, including universities and day cares, under a bill lawmakers sent to Gov. John Kasich early Friday.

Controversial after the attack last month at Ohio State University, the bill would expand the list of places where Ohioans can carry a concealed handgun. Proposed additions: day cares, private aircraft, airports before the security line and universities if their boards approve concealed guns on campus. Concealed guns would not be permitted in police departments – a location stripped from the proposal Wednesday afternoon after complaints from law enforcement officers – and county commissioners could prevent concealed carry in child support enforcement agencies.

Supporters, who are largely Republicans, say arming people such as university students and staff would reduce the time an assailant could hurt more people. Their recent case study: the Nov. 28 violence at Ohio State.

Abdul Razak Ali Artan attacked 13 people, first driving into some with a car and then stabbing others with a butcher's knife. He was stopped about a minute later by Ohio State University Officer Alan Horujko, who fatally shot Artan. Horujko quickly stopped Artan's attack because he was in the area, helping firefighters check on a gas leak.

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Opponents of the bill argue Horujko's quick response proves students don't need concealed guns. Additional firearms would have only complicated the scene, they say. Lawmakers initially banned concealed guns in these locations to protect children and students from gun violence, they say, so why permit guns in those locations now?

The bill, sponsored by Rep. Ron Maag, R-Salem Township, also would lessen the penalty for carrying a concealed gun on a college campus. That offense, currently a felony, would become a minor misdemeanor under the bill.

The legislation was folded into a separate bill, which would allow members of the military on leave to carry concealed weapons, early Friday. The changes would also allow employees to carry concealed in their employers' parking lots. A plan to make gun owners a protected class in discrimination lawsuits was dropped.

The concealed carry changes passed the GOP-controlled legislature early Friday and head to Gov. John Kasich.