Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine isn’t someone I would consider strong on Second Amendment issues. He’s been pushing his own gun control package for a while, though there have been no takers in the legislature.

Despite that, though, it seems DeWine has moments, such as Monday when he signed constitutional carry into law.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine on Monday signed a bill that allows people in the state to carry a concealed handgun without a permit.

Senate Bill 215 allows anyone aged 21 or older to carry a concealed firearm unless they are prohibited from possessing a gun under state or federal law.

The decision by DeWine makes Ohio the 23rd constitutional carry state, according to the National Rifle Association’s Institute for Legislative Action.

“NRA thanks Gov. DeWine for signing this critical bill that upholds the Second Amendment in Ohio, for the benefit of law-abiding citizens,” the lobbying arm of the NRA stated.

SB215 will also eliminate penalties for motorists who fail to proactively tell law enforcement about concealed handguns in their vehicles during traffic stops. However, drivers would still have to say whether they have a gun with them if an officer requests, according to cleveland.com.

It was weird because I sat down with Paul Lathrop of the Second Amendment Foundation Monday night for their daily video podcast, The Daily Bullet. We talked about whether DeWine would sign this bill or not.

Little did we know that just a short time before things kicked off, he already had.

I guess it was fortunate we both said that he would, though I don’t think for a moment DeWine wanted to. Frankly, at this point, it doesn’t matter to the people of Ohio.

Now, constitutional carry has been signed. Without the legislature voting to overturn it, it’s set to be the law for ages to come. This is good news for people in Ohio, despite what the doomsayers like to claim. As we’ve seen over the last year, anti-gun cities like Chicago and Los Angeles have reported the highest homicide rates in years. Meanwhile, in constitutional carry Dallas, homicides went down.

So while a lot of people in cities like Cleveland and Dayton may be displeased by this, they’ll ultimately reap the benefits of constitutional carry.

And those benefits are real, but even if they weren’t, it wouldn’t matter to me.

No, what matters is that Ohioans will be able to carry a firearm without having to go to the state and ask, “Mother, may I?”

It’s a constitutionally protected right. You just shouldn’t have to ask permission to enjoy it, yet that’s precisely what permitting requirements do. They make people ask permission to exercise a constitutional right.

No other right has quite the same restrictions, nor would they be tolerated.

Even requirements for permits to hold mass protests aren’t the same thing. After all, you can’t be turned down for such a permit for any reason, it’s just a way to make sure there’s sufficient infrastructure to support those protests.

But anyone can get one and get one pretty much that day.

Try that with a carry permit.

Constitutional carry changes things so that’s not an issue any longer. Congratulations to the people of Ohio.

Now, if Indiana’s governor will sign their bill and Gov. Kemp in Georgia makes good on his promise to sign Georgia’s bill then fully half of the United States will be Constitutional Carry states.