Ohio Open Carry Laws

Open carry

We found no Ohio statute that authorizes carrying a handgun openly, having read R.C. 2923.12 in full. The carrying offense in R.C. 2923.12(A) is written about a weapon concealed on the person or concealed ready at hand. We did not find a division of R.C. 2923.12 that speaks to a weapon carried openly.

The rule

R.C. 2923.12(A) makes it an offense to knowingly carry or have, concealed on the person or concealed ready at hand, a deadly weapon other than a handgun, a handgun other than a dangerous ordnance, or a dangerous ordnance. Under R.C. 2923.12, the handgun offense in division (A)(2) does not reach a person carrying a concealed handgun under a license valid at the time who is not knowingly in a place listed in R.C. 2923.126(B), and R.C. 2923.111(C)(1) deems a qualifying adult carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand to hold such a license.

Exceptions and limits

• R.C. 2923.16(B) bars knowingly transporting or having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle in a manner that makes it accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle, and division (F)(5) lifts that bar only for the people it names, among them a licensee and a qualifying adult while carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand, and only while they are not knowingly in a place described in R.C. 2923.126(B).
• A valid concealed handgun license does not authorize carrying a concealed handgun into any of the eight kinds of place R.C. 2923.126(B) lists, among them police and sheriff stations, detention facilities, secured airport terminal areas, places of worship that do not post or permit otherwise, and any place where federal law prohibits carrying handguns; the school safety zone, courthouse and D-permit entries reach a licensee only where the carry would violate R.C. 2923.122, R.C. 2923.123 or R.C. 2923.121, and under R.C. 2923.121(B)(1)(e) a licensee who is not consuming beer or intoxicating liquor and is not under the influence of alcohol or a drug of abuse does not violate R.C. 2923.121.
• R.C. 2923.122 bars knowingly conveying a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance into a school safety zone and knowingly possessing one there, with the exceptions listed in division (D).

Common questions

Is open carry legal in Ohio?

We found no Ohio statute that authorizes carrying a handgun openly, having read R.C. 2923.12 in full. The offense that statute creates is written about a weapon concealed on the person or concealed ready at hand.

Do I need a concealed handgun license to carry openly?

We did not find a license requirement for carrying a handgun openly in R.C. 2923.12, which we read in full. A license does matter for concealed carry, because R.C. 2923.12 puts a person carrying a concealed handgun under a license valid at the time, who is not knowingly in a place listed in R.C. 2923.126(B), outside the handgun offense, and R.C. 2923.111(C)(1) deems a qualifying adult carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand to hold such a license.

Can I have a loaded handgun in my car while carrying openly?

R.C. 2923.16(B) bars knowingly transporting or having a loaded firearm in a motor vehicle in a manner that makes it accessible to the operator or any passenger without leaving the vehicle, and that bar is written about a loaded firearm rather than a concealed one. Division (F)(5) of R.C. 2923.16 lifts it only for the people it names, among them a licensee and a qualifying adult while carrying a handgun that is not a restricted firearm concealed on the person or ready at hand, and only while they are not knowingly in a place described in R.C. 2923.126(B).

Does carrying openly change where I may go?

The place list in R.C. 2923.126(B) is written about what a valid concealed handgun license does not authorize. The school safety zone rule in R.C. 2923.122 is written about a deadly weapon or dangerous ordnance, with the exceptions listed in division (D).