Open carry age

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I have been counting the days till my 21'st bday so i could get a ccw and carry legaly, but then i stumpled upon this site. I am only 20 until next july, so my question is, would i be allowed to open carrya handgun i own now with out a permit? i have no criminal past at all and i own my handguns.

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First of all, Ohio doesn't have permits, we have licenses. Subtle difference, but still worth clarifying.

Secondly, how do you own your handguns if you don't mind me asking? Reason I ask is because in Ohio, you can't legally purchase one until 21. You can still legally possess one at 18, so I was just curious.

Finally, there is no laws concerning open carry. Until earlier this year when wording was adopted stating that localities cannot legislate against open carry. Assuming it's legal to possess the handgun (sounds like it in your case), you may carry it openly. Just keep in mind that ALL open carriers are subject to harrassment, including by police. If you don't have a license to back it up, some, less educated police will hassle you more. Being under 21, even less educated (or more zealous) police will hassle you more. If you accept this risk (and I hope you do both out of lack of fear and ability to educate them), then you should be in the clear.

Of course, our Second Amendment says laws be damned; For as long as you're not hurting anybody unprovokedly, you are legal to keep and bear arms.

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gdixon235 wrote:

I have been counting the days till my 21'st bday so i could get a ccw and carry legaly, but then i stumpled upon this site. I am only 20 until next july, so my question is, would i be allowed to open carrya handgun i own now with out a permit? i have no criminal past at all and i own my handguns.

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gdixon235, consider 2923.21(A)(3) first:

(A) No person shall do any of the following:

(3) Furnish any firearm to a person who is under eighteen years of age or, subject to division (B) of this section, furnish any handgun to a person who is under twenty-one years of age, except for lawful hunting, sporting, or educational purposes, including, but not limited to, instruction in firearms or handgun safety, care, handling, or marksmanship under the supervision or control of a responsible adult;

(Division (B) provides an exception for properly-trained law enforcement officers under the age of twenty-one.)

Open carry for the purpose of self-defense is not one of the permitted exceptions.

Of course, this section doesn't impact you directly - it just applies to the adult who supplied you with the handgun in question. (Since 2923.21(A)(1) states that you cannot legally purchase a handgun - from anyone - you must have had your handguns "furnished" to you by an adult, or you acquired them and then moved into the State of Ohio.)

In other words, you probably won't face prosecution for carrying, but whoever supplied you with the firearm will.

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Young man, I am proud to see that you have taken an interest in your Constitutional Rights. The only rights you have are the ones you exercise.

However, take it from an old man, wait until you are 21. Unfortunately at 20, you are in a state of limbo. You are old enough to pick up arms and fight for this country and vote. But, you cannot drink.

Also, in today’s society young people are on a spot. College shootings and all. The deck is stacked against you. LEO would love to harass someone your age. The problem is you don’t have the experience in dealing with LEOs that would love to take advantage of you and your inexperience.

Older people and even young LEOs consider young people as snot nose brats. And society will not give you respect until they accept you as an adult. But when does that happen. Well, not until people refer to as Mr. And that won’t happen until you are about 30 years old. All of us old farts have gone through this. And you will go through this same experience just like us. And yes, I’m a lot older than 30 years old.

When you read some of the blogs, you will notice that a number of bloggers talk about appearance. In other words, clean cut, pants up around your waste, no piercings or tattoos. Remember, appearance is the first impression. It sets the tone of the first encounter with LEOs. Second is your demeanor. How do you talk, are you polite, do you talk with respect?

My suggestion is that you wait until you are 21 to get a CCW and don’t open carry until you are about 25. But, what do old farts know.

Of course, if your pants are down around your knees, you have piercings and tattoos, don’t open carry.