Not too long ago citizens from the Buckeye State were celebrating the passage of a permitless carry bill and it subsequently got signed into law. Ohio has another Second Amendment-related bill that’s worth paying attention to, but this one concerns knives. The Knife Law Preemption bill, SB 156 is making its way through their house, with it recently receiving a favorable vote from the Oversight Committee. Knife Rights, an organization dedicated to the preservation of Second Amendment protections of bladed arms, recently reported on this.

After testimony by Knife Rights Director of Legislative Affairs, Todd Rathner, Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Preemption bill, SB 156, was reported favorably out of the House Government Oversight Committee at its third hearing by a vote of 8-4. This is the Senate version of the bill selected to move forward after identical versions were passed by both houses last year. A clarifying technical amendment was made to the bill in committee. Next step is a House vote.

We’d like to thank Government Oversight Committee Chairman Shane Wilkin for his assistance in moving this bill.

Knife Rights will let you know when it is time to next call or email in support of Knife Law Preemption in Ohio.

The bill text revises Ohio’s preemption provisions of their law by adding knives to the list of items protected by that section of the law. The statute  as it exists is a strong case and statement of fact about our Second Amendment and can be read in part here with some of the added language:

(A) The individual right to keep and bear arms, being a fundamental individual right that predates the United States Constitution and Ohio Constitution, and being a constitutionally protected right in every part of Ohio, the general assembly finds the need to provide uniform laws throughout the state regulating the ownership, possession, purchase, other acquisition, transport, storage, carrying, sale, other transfer, manufacture, taxation, keeping, and reporting of loss or theft of firearms, their components, and their ammunition, and knives.

The work that Knife Rights has been doing across the country does not go unnoticed. Recently a Knife Rights supported bill got the switchblade ban repealed in Virginia and Alabama’s permitless carry law which Knife Rights endorsed also includes language that protects some knives in the provisions. This is not the first time the organization has done work in Ohio either.

These bills follow enactment last year of Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill, SB 140. Without knife law preemption making those reforms applicable statewide, numerous cities and towns in Ohio are still able to ban many knives that are perfectly legal under Ohio’s statutes.
Knife Law Preemption is a Knife Rights criminal justice reform effort that repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere within a state.

The furthering of our right to keep and bear arms, no matter the tool being regulated, is something that’s worth celebrating across the country. While this was just one of the many steps needed to get the bill passed into law, it’s a good sign. Given the 8-4 vote in support of the measure, hopefully, that’ll act as a barometer for the overall support of the bill. We’ll be watching this bill as it further advances in Ohio. As always we’ll report back with any updates on the measure and any other Second Amendment-related news.