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Hearing on SB 279 would make businesses liable for denying armed off-duty officers; bill would add penalties

Senate General Government Committee · October 21, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Senate Bill 279, discussed in the General Government Committee, would clarify that off-duty law enforcement may carry firearms in places open to the public, shield admitting businesses from liability, and impose a $10,000 civil penalty and attorney-fee liability on businesses that deny entry to armed off-duty officers, according to proponents.

Senate Bill 279 received proponent testimony in a second hearing before the Senate General Government Committee. Robert Sexton of the Buckeye Firearms Association testified in support, describing the bill as providing enforcement tools to an existing Ohio policy that permits off-duty police officers to carry firearms in public places.

Sexton told the committee SB 279 would address three items: clarify that businesses which admit an off-duty, armed officer are shielded from liability; impose a…

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