Ohio Lawmakers Respond to OSU Attack: Open Up College Campuses to Concealed Carry

George Mason college student carries a gun on campus
Melissa Golden/AP Photo

In the wake of the November 28 Ohio State University attack, lawmakers in the state have passed a bill that allows colleges and universities to allow concealed carry permit holders to carry guns on their campuses for self-defense.

The campus carry measure originated in HB 48, which was sponsored by state representative Ron Maag (R-Lebanon). Buckeye Firearms Association reports that language from HB 48 was inserted into a Senate bill (SB 199) late Thursday, and thereafter passed the House by a vote of 68-25.

At 3:15 a.m. Friday morning the Ohio Senate passed the measure by a vote of 22-8.

This means that colleges and universities can now allow students with concealed carry permits to carry guns for self-defense. It also means that concealed carry permit holders can keep guns in their cars in a public school parking lot, which is something they are already legal to do at colleges and universities. The legislation also removes the mandatory gun-free designation for “day-care facilities, private aircraft, and public areas of airport terminals.”

The measure is headed to Governor John Kasich’s (R) desk for a signature.

On November 28 Breitbart News reported that a Somali refugee named Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove a car into unarmed students at Ohio State University, then exited the car and began slashing at defenseless students with a knife. The attack lasted approximately one minute.

How much quicker might the attack have ended if a concealed carry permit holder had been in the vicinity and allowed to have his gun with him for self-defense?

AWR Hawkins is the Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and host of “Bullets with AWR Hawkins,” a Breitbart News podcast. He is also the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him directly at awrhawkins@breitbart.com.

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