Lawmakers Working To Close Conceal-Carry Loophole

Some Ohio lawmakers are trying to close a gun law loophole allowing municipalities to get around a provision permitting concealed weapons in parks.Lawmakers have removed a provision aimed at stopping communities from leasing parkland to a private entity, then posting signs banning concealed handguns. They say it could allow guns in places that already ban them, such as children's science centers. Sponsoring Republican state representative Joe Uecker says lawmakers are exploring alternative wording. The measure would also reduce from 12 to 8 hours to the training time necessary to obtain a concealed weapons permit. The Ohio Attorney General's office says more than 16 thousand new concealed-carry licenses were issued in the first quarter of the year and nearly 16 thousand were renewed. That compares with more than 31 thousand 400 new permits issued in the first quarter of 2013, and more than 63 hundred renewals. More than 145 thousand conceal-carry licenses were issued in 2013, the largest number since licensing began in 2004.