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Gun-rights group supports bill to protect off-duty officers, impose penalties on businesses that deny entry
Summary
Robert Sexton of the Buckeye Firearms Association testified in favor of Senate Bill 279, which would shield businesses that admit armed off-duty officers from liability, create a $10,000 civil penalty per occurrence for businesses that deny entry, and require payment of complainants' attorney fees; senators raised legal-wording and private‑property concerns.
At a second hearing of the Senate General Government Committee, Robert Sexton testified on behalf of the Buckeye Firearms Association in support of Senate Bill 279, sponsored by Senator Johnson.
Sexton described three elements in the bill: a liability shield for businesses that admit off‑duty officers carrying firearms, a civil penalty of $10,000 per occurrence for businesses that deny entry, and a requirement that businesses pay the attorney fees of complainants who bring a denial complaint. He said the measure would "ensure that trained police officers are able to carry a firearm when off duty" and argued it would make public places safer.
Senator DeMauro questioned the bill's drafting, specifically the use of the word "discourage," and raised a separate concern about private businesses' rights to restrict firearms on their property. Sexton said he would defer legal-wording questions to the Legislative Service Commission (LSC) and to counsel the association consults, and he expressed a belief the law would survive challenge but deferred to the courts.
The Chair noted written proponent testimony from Chief Ed Kinney (Medina Police Department) and Heinz von Eckertsberg (Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police) on the committee iPads. After no additional in-person testimony, the committee closed the second hearing; no vote was taken.
