I have carried concealed for 7 years and want to start carrying open and I need to know about 12031 e.Do i have to carry my firearm without a chambered round[unloaded] or am I allowed to carry with a round chambered? thanks,Dan
You can legally carry a round in the pipe, yes. California is the only place where you couldn't if you carried openly, and now you can't even carry openly there. I open carry in central Ohio without issue or people going haywire.
12031 only specifies that an officer is allowed to inspect the firearm to determine if it's loaded or not, there is no requirement that it be unloaded/unchambered, and it doesn't pertain to Ohio at all, to be frank (it's a Kali thing).
Ohio open carry is a constitutionally guaranteed right that the Attorney General has taken actual steps to inform the public exists without prior restraint, requires no license, and cannot be used as a "justifiable cause" for police to harassment in and of itself.
My only suggestion is to ensure that you present a good image and you'll find few if anybody will even care, and those that do will generally be positive (except in Canton or Cleveland, but they're being beaten into compliance with every misstep they try to take).