Buckeye Reporter

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed SB 215 into law on March 14, which will allow Ohioans over the age of 21 to carry concealed firearms without a permit, the Columbus Dispatch reported.  

Jim Renacci, a fellow Republican challenging DeWine's re-election bid, asserts that the governor signed the bill only to appease voters ahead of his upcoming primary.

"Ohio gun owners should make no mistake that the only reason DeWine decided at the 11th hour to sign this bill is because his re-election campaign is in serious trouble," Renacci said in a statement. "He's a four-decade career politician who will say or do anything to get re-elected. He'd gleefully sign a bill trampling on the Second Amendment without skipping a beat, and Ohio gun owners are rightfully nervous about what a second DeWine term would mean for their freedoms."

Renacci added that if he were governor, "I would not have hesitated to sign this bill even for a moment, let alone view it as a 'tough decision' like DeWine did. Ohioans deserve far better than this -- and that's why I'm committed to defeating DeWine and delivering the accountable conservative leadership we desperately need."

Under SB 215, the firearm must be legally owned, but there will no longer be a requirement of eight hours of training to obtain a concealed carry permit, the Dispatch reported.  

DeWine described his decision to sign the bill as "tough," according to Statehouse News.

DeWine has repeatedly called for gun control legislation, including expanding background checks, Dayton 24/7 reported. Ohio Republicans have criticized the governor for his anti-Second Amendment stance.

In 2006, when he served in the U.S. Senate, DeWine made Human Events Online's list of the Top 10 Anti-Gun Senators, Buckeye Firearms reported. Human Events wrote, "Mike DeWine (R.-Ohio) Consistently the only Republican to speak in favor of anti-2nd Amendment legislation on the Senate floor." The Buckeye Firearms Association added that DeWine was "in the company of Democrats and some of the most anti-American, anti-self defense and anti-Second Amendment characters that currently call the United States Senate their home."

DeWine received an "F" grade from the NRA when he served in the Senate, PolitiFact reported.

Renacci has repeatedly voiced support for the Second Amendment, tweeting in December, "I applaud the Ohio Senate for passing Constitutional Carry. I would sign this bill as soon as it hit my desk."

Renacci is a businessman and former U.S. representative for the 16th congressional district running against DeWine, a fellow Republican, in the 2022 GOP gubernatorial primary.

DeWine, 74, was John Kasich's choice to replace him as Ohio governor in 2019. He is one of the longest-serving public officials in state history, having been in elected office for 41 years. That includes stints in the Ohio State Senate, U.S. House of Representatives, U.S. Senate, and as Ohio attorney general and lieutenant governor.