Ohioans could put noise suppressors on their guns while hunting and would need fewer hours of training to get a concealed-carry permit under a bill approved by the Ohio Senate yesterday. "I believe this bill has broad consensus," said Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester. "This is a good law. It will help update and improve our regulations in this area."

Ohioans could put noise suppressors on their guns while hunting and would need fewer hours of training to get a concealed-carry permit under a bill approved by the Ohio Senate yesterday.

�I believe this bill has broad consensus,� said Sen. Bill Coley, R-West Chester. �This is a good law. It will help update and improve our regulations in this area.�

The measure passed 24-6. Sen. Charleta B. Tavares, D-Columbus, was the only central Ohio legislator to vote against it.

Legislators tabled a proposal by Tavares to add a requirement that gun owners store their weapons safely at home to prevent children from using them improperly. A violation would have been a first-degree felony.

Sen. Michael Skindell, D-Lakewood, said he appreciates the concern for hunters� hearing, but he said that is outweighed by safety concerns. Some states that have allowed noise suppressors have seen emboldened hunters seeking game closer to residential areas, while in other states, such guns have become the tool of choice for poachers.

�It could promote, in the wrong hands, some criminal activity, not only in the urban areas, but also in those rural areas,� Skindell said.

Sen. Nina Turner, a Cleveland Democrat whose son is a police officer, said the bill would endanger those in law enforcement.

�I don�t understand why a hunter needs a silencer to shoot Bambi or Tweety Bird,� she said.

The bill also would reduce the minimum amount of training to obtain a concealed-carry permit from 12 to eight hours, including two hours on a live firing range. Any Ohioan with a permit from another state with provisions similar to Ohio�s would not have to obtain additional training. Those who live in another state but work in Ohio also could get a permit. Those from states without requirements like Ohio�s could get an Ohio permit for six months.

Coley said one goal of the bill is to make Ohio more friendly to gun owners from other states.

Those who renounce U.S. citizenship or have been convicted of domestic-violence crimes would not be able to obtain a permit.

The bill passed the House a year ago but has been amended to include numerous provisions previously included in other legislation. That means the House will get it again.

The Senate Civil Justice Committee voted 8-2 yesterday for the bill, which would permit those hunting �game birds and wild quadrupeds� to use noise suppressors on guns only for hunting purposes. Twenty-eight states allow suppressors. The measure requires those who use silencers to undergo a background check and pay associated fees.

During the committee session, Sen. Eric Kearney, D-Cincinnati, questioned the need for legislation. �Are silencers really needed when someone is hunting birds or squirrels?� But he wound up voting yes on the Senate floor.

Jim Irvine, chairman of the Buckeye Firearms Association, said the suppressors are a safety protection for hunters. �Anytime you�re shooting a gun, it�s a good idea to wear hearing protection.� Because hunters can�t do that, noise suppressors are the next best thing to protect their hearing, he said.

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