As of March 23, 2016, Ohio residents with valid concealed carry permits will no longer be required to undergo additional background checks when purchasing a firearm. State Attorney General Mike DeWine announced the new policy and voiced his support for it:
“I’m pleased Ohio concealed carry license holders will not have to undergo additional background checks each time they want to buy a firearm. Ohio concealed carry license holders who are in good standing have already passed thorough state and federal background checks so there is no reason to force them to submit to additional checks if they want to buy a firearm.”
The policy changes were made with the full agreement of the US Department of Justice and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms, who have to date granted similar exemptions to 24 other states. In general, federal law requires FFL dealers to perform a NICS check with each purchase.
Removing the background check requirement can save CCW holders time and money, depending on how individual states and dealers process new sales and applications. This is not a small consideration in Ohio, which issued over 71,000 new CCW licenses in 2015 alone. Ohio is a “shall issue” state for CCW, and CCW applications are handled by the county sheriff’s office and are available to any Ohio resident who completes a background check, fingerprinting, and certification training as proscribed by state law and the Ohio Peace Officers Training Commission.