AG Asks Lawmakers to Settle Suppressor, Short-Barrel Gun Rules
After the ATF dropped a federal approval requirement, Attorney General Andy Wilson says Ohio law still ties gun owners to it and asks the legislature to decide.
Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson has asked state lawmakers to clear up Ohio's firearm laws after a federal change left gun owners at risk of unknowingly breaking state law, the Dayton Daily News reported.
On Oct. 9, the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives announced it no longer requires approval under the National Firearms Act before someone makes or transfers a short-barreled rifle, short-barreled shotgun or firearm suppressor, according to the Daily News.
Ohio law still prohibits making, possessing or using those items without ATF approval, the newspaper reported.
Letter to legislative leaders
Wilson wrote Friday, Oct. 23, to Senate President Rob McColley and House Speaker Matt Huffman.
"Under current Ohio law, Ohioans wishing to own or use a short-barreled rifle" or the other items "must register those items with the federal government or face the risk of criminal prosecution," Wilson wrote, as quoted by the Daily News.
"If that reflects the policy of this legislature, so be it," he wrote. "If, on the other hand, the legislature sees these registration requirements as archaic remnants ... of an overly restrictive past, it is time to eliminate them from Ohio law."
Bills in the works
The Buckeye Firearms Association has been working with lawmakers on the issue, the Daily News reported. The group backs Senate Bill 214, which would address suppressors. The bill has passed the Ohio Senate and is expected to pass the House soon, according to the newspaper. A combination of other bills backed by the association would address short-barreled guns; the Daily News did not list their numbers.
"BFA has been working closely and effectively with Speaker Huffman and President McColley to remedy these issues," said Jim Samuel, the association's legislative-affairs director, according to the Daily News.
Samuel said the group was "actively involved at the federal level to do away with the unconstitutional NFA mandates ... and even signed on to letters and a lawsuit to that end."
"Likewise, we're making progress at the state level and are confident Ohio will not be left behind," he said.
What still applies
The federal change does not cover every weapon regulated under the National Firearms Act. The $200 tax remains in effect for machine guns and destructive devices, the Daily News reported.
The Gun Control Act of 1968 also still applies to short-barreled rifles, short-barreled shotguns and suppressors, according to the newspaper, citing concealedcarry.com. Licensed dealers must still run background checks, people barred from owning guns still cannot possess them, and private individuals cannot transfer them to residents of other states.