It may be time to revisit your concealed carry policies at your workplace. Back in late December 2016, Senate Bill 199 proposed amendments to Ohio law to expand the area so that an individual with a valid concealed handgun license can possess a firearm in a privately-owned vehicle while parked on company property. To ensure you are in compliance with these new provisions, consider the following guidelines for what is and is not permitted while on company property:
- With the proper signage, businesses and property owners in general can prohibit firearms within the workplace and on their property. However, they cannot prohibit an employee or guest with a valid concealed handgun license from transporting or storing a firearm and ammunition in his or her personal vehicle on the premises where the vehicle is permitted to be, such as a parking lot. If the individual is outside of the vehicle, the firearm and ammunition must be locked in a trunk, glove box, or other enclosed compartment within or on the vehicle.
- An employee may not possess a firearm or ammunition in a company-owned or company-leased vehicle where the employer prohibits such possession.
- Although businesses and property owners cannot prohibit a license holder from possessing or storing a firearm in his or her privately owned vehicle while parked on their premises, they can post a sign in a conspicuous location on the land or premises prohibiting people, including individuals with a valid concealed handgun license, from carrying firearms on or onto that land or in the premises.