Firearms Owners Against Crime
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Institute for Legal, Legislative and Educational Action
Ohioans could put noise suppressors on their guns while hunting and would need fewer hours of training to get a conceal-carry permit under a bill approved this afternoon by the Ohio Senate.
The measure passed 24 to 6. Sen. Charleta B. Tavares, D-Columbus, was the only central Ohio lawmaker to vote against it.
“I believe this bill has broad consensus,” said Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester. “This is a good law. It will help update and improve our regulations in this area.”
Lawmakers tabled a proposal by Tavares to add a requirement that gun owners store their weapons safely at home to prevent children from using them improperly. A violation would have been a first-degree felony.
Sen. Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, said he appreciates the hearing safety concerns for hunters but added that those are outweighed by safety concerns. 
Some states that have allowed noise suppressors have seen emboldened hunters seeking game closer to residential areas, while in others such guns have become the tool of choice for poachers.
“It could promote in the wrong hands some criminal activity, not only in the urban areas but also in those rural areas,” Skindell said.
Sen. Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat whose son is a police officer, said the bill would endanger those in law enforcement.
“I don’t understand why a hunter needs a silencer to shoot Bambi or Tweety Bird,” she said.
The measure would reduce the minimum amount of training to obtain a conceal-carry permit from 12 to 8 hours, including two hours on a live firing range. Any Ohioan with a permit from another state with similar provisions to Ohio’s would not have to obtain additional training. Those who live in another state but work in Ohio also could get a permit. Those from states without requirements like Ohio’s could still get an Ohio permit for six months.
Coley said one goal of the bill is to make Ohio more friendly to gun owners from other states.
Those who renounce U.S. citizenship or who are convicted of domestic violence crimes would not be able to obtain a license.
Sen. Joe Uecker, R-Loveland, called the changes “common-sense provisions.”
The bill passed the Ohio House a year ago but has now been amended to include numerous provisions previously a part of included in other legislation.
Earlier today, the Senate Civil Justice Committee voted 8-2 for the bill, which would permit those hunting “game birds and wild quadrupeds” to use noise suppressors on guns for hunting purposes only. Twenty-eight states already allow suppressors. The measure requires those who use silencers undergo a background check and pay associated fees.
During the committee session, Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, questioned the need for legislation. “Are silencers really needed when someone is hunting birds or squirrels?” But he wound up voting yes on the Senate floor.
Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said that the suppressors are a safety protection for hunters. “Anytime you’re shooting a gun idea to wear hearing protection.” Since hunters can’t do that, noise supressors are the next best thing to protect their hearing, he said.
http://www.dispatch.com/content/stories/local/2014/12/09/hunting-gun-silencers.html