Bill > HB373

This bill enacts the Universal Background Checks Act, which requires most firearm transfers between private individuals to be processed through a federally licensed firearms dealer or a law enforcement agency. The bill mandates that when an unlicensed person wants to transfer a firearm to another unlicensed person, they must go through an intermediary (dealer or law enforcement) who will conduct a background check. The background check involves verifying the transferee's identity, checking federal criminal databases, and conducting an incompetency records check with the state attorney general. There are several exceptions to this requirement, such as temporary transfers within a home for self-defense, transfers at shooting ranges or during hunting, transfers to law enforcement, and transfers to museums or historical collections. If a person violates the background check requirements, they can be charged with illegal transfer of a firearm, with penalties escalating from a fourth-degree misdemeanor to a first-degree misdemeanor for repeat offenses. The bill allows dealers and law enforcement agencies to charge up to $10 for processing a transfer and specifies that the federal government cannot inspect or require transfer of the records created under this law.

Military Affairs and Security

https://www.legislature.ohio.gov/legislation/136/hb373