Senate Bill 58, signed by Gov. Mike Dewine in January 2025, has become effective in the state of Ohio as of this month.
The bill is an amendment to Ohio Revised Code section 9.68 that looks to provide the need for uniform laws for state regulation of firearms – possession, storage and carrying – and drug policies.
Dr. Joshua Boston, an assistant professor of political science at BGSU specializing in judicial politics and law, spoke to BG Falcon Media about the revised code, which for policies with drugs like cannabis, are regulated through the state statute.
“The Ohio Revised Code, or ORC, is the long list of state laws. These are statutes– bills passed by the legislature and signed by the governor– that prescribe how government will function, and proscribe certain behaviors,” Boston said.
“All of that is juxtaposed to U.S. federal constitutional protections for things like speech, religion, assembly, and–of course–the keeping and bearing of arms. These protections differ in function and application. These are areas of behavior that the government is broadly prohibited from interfering with.”
SB 58 will prohibit the requirement for firearm liability insurance for state gun owners or those who possess knives and enact the Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act. The insurance is said to be an infringement on the constitutional right and a financial burden, making it more difficult for citizens to have a means of defense.
“Firearms, on the other hand, have federal constitutional protection under the Second Amendment. But, the question remains whether and when states can regulate guns using their police powers– to protect the health, safety, welfare, and morals of its inhabitants… in general, the takeaway here is that firearms are still subject to reasonable regulations at the state level.” Boston explained.
The Second Amendment Financial Privacy Act (SAFPA) known as Senate Bill 148, was introduced to keep firearm retailers and owners from financial discrimination. It was primarily sponsored by Sen. Terry Johnson (R-McDermott) who also sponsored SB 58 alongside Theresa Gavarone (R-Bowling Green).
“Some of the legislative aides I spoke to suggested that fees and insurance requirements for owning a gun are contradictory to the Second Amendment,” Boston said. “In their view, other constitutional rights are not conditioned on an ability to pay fees or access insurance.”
SAFPA will prohibit the use of Merchant Category Codes (MCCs), the four-digit numbers that credit card networks utilize to track purchases, and are able to help identify suspicious activity in purchasing to help determine potential risks or fraud.
A trade association for the firearms industry the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) supports the bill as it looks to “protect the privacy of lawful and private firearm and ammunition purchases from being abused for political purposes by corporate financial service providers and unlawful government search and seizure of legal and private financial transactions,” they stated.
Concerns brought up by those who opposed the bill discuss how the utilization of firearm insurance is a way to help prevent “inherit risks.”
With liability insurance however, there is no guarantee in reducing malicious shootings as the perpetrators of the crime are subject to not comply with laws and regulations in place.
