Ohio Legislature Approves Campus Carry Bill

The bill allows school boards at public colleges to craft concealed weapons policies.

Less than two weeks after a stabbing attack at Ohio State University, lawmakers approved a bill allowing concealed handguns on college campuses.

State legislators passed the bill Friday, although it’s still unclear whether Governor John Kasich will sign the bill into law.

The bill would give the board of trustees at public universities in Ohio the option to allow licensed gun owners to bring their weapons on campus, reports the New York Daily News.

RELATED: Ga. Supreme Court Severely Limits Guns on School Campuses

The bill also removes a ban on bringing concealed weapons into public areas of airports and daycare centers, although gun owners would still be prohibited from bringing weapons into areas such as libraries and city halls.

The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police opposed the bill along with the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association. A state sheriff’s group supported the measure.

Campus Safety has previously reported on the recent Ohio State attack that injured 11 people on campus Nov. 28. OSU student Abdul Razak Ali Artan was killed by a campus police officer less than a minute after the attack began.

The incident fueled arguments by pro-gun groups who claim campus carry could prevent future attacks.

A similar campus carry law went into effect in Texas Aug.1. That law has sparked protests by student groups and professors.

Read Next: University of Kansas Denied Limits on Campus Carry Law

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