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Senate hears bill to bar entities from discouraging off‑duty officers from carrying; sponsor cites precautionary rationale
Summary
Senator Johnson introduced SB279 to prevent businesses, state agencies and political subdivisions from discouraging off‑duty law enforcement officers from carrying firearms, adding civil penalties and punitive damages; committee members probed the evidence base, accountability for misuse and whether stakeholder groups were consulted.
Senator Johnson told the Senate General Government Committee that SB279 would remove references to restrictive local or agency policies from the Ohio Revised Code and add civil penalties and punitive damages against businesses and political subdivisions that "discourage" off‑duty officers from carrying.
Johnson described the measure as "preventive in nature," saying that "when time is of the essence, when lives are on the line, I want our off duty police force empowered to act decisively." He also told the committee that the Ohio…
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