To amend sections 2929.28 and 5122.311 and to enact section 2923.26 of the Revised Code to enact the Universal Background Checks Act to require a firearm transfer to be made through a dealer, through a law enforcement agency, or pursuant to a specified exception, and to require a background check when a firearm is transferred.
HB373, titled the Universal Background Checks Act, would create a new section of the Revised Code requiring most firearm transfers between unlicensed individuals to be completed through a federally licensed firearms dealer or a law enforcement agency, unless a listed exception applies. The bill also requires a background check in connection with the transfer, including the federal NICS check and, in dealer- or law-enforcement-assisted transfers, an additional Ohio incompetency records check using records maintained by the Attorney General under the mental-health reporting statute.
The bill sets out detailed procedures for dealers and law enforcement agencies that assist with transfers, including identity verification, notice requirements, and the ability to charge a fee of up to $10 per firearm transfer. It also creates exceptions for temporary transfers in emergencies, at shooting ranges and competitions, during lawful hunting/fishing/trapping, transfers to and from law enforcement and government entities, museum or historical society transfers, gunsmith repairs, out-of-state dealer transfers, and certain wholesale business transactions. Violations would be treated as the misdemeanor offense of illegal transfer of a firearm, with escalating penalties for repeat offenses, and the bill also makes conforming changes to the misdemeanor fine statute and the mental-health records statute used for firearm eligibility checks.
If enacted, HB373 would significantly expand Ohio’s regulation of private firearm sales and other private transfers by requiring most such transfers to go through a licensed dealer or law enforcement agency and by mandating background checks before completion. It would add a new criminal offense for reckless violations, authorize processing fees, and integrate Ohio’s mental-health incompetency records into the transfer-screening process. The bill would also amend existing sentencing and mental-health reporting provisions to support enforcement of the new transfer rules and related fines.
Based on the bill’s sponsorship and cosponsorship pattern, the measure appears to have support among a bloc of House Democrats and advocates of universal background checks. However, the bill was only introduced and had no recorded committee vote or floor vote in the provided history, so there is no formal legislative sentiment reflected in voting data. The overall framing of the bill suggests a public-safety-oriented approach, but the absence of committee discussion means there is no recorded institutional debate in the materials provided.
The main point of contention is the bill’s requirement that private firearm transfers be routed through a dealer or law enforcement agency, which opponents of universal background checks typically view as an expansion of gun regulation and a burden on lawful private transfers. Likely areas of debate include the added cost and administrative steps for gun owners, the use of mental-health records in eligibility screening, and whether the exceptions are broad enough to avoid interfering with ordinary lawful activities such as hunting, target shooting, and gunsmithing. Supporters would likely emphasize closing loopholes in private sales and improving traceability and public safety.