Ohio Representative Al Cutrona has introduced HB 243 to enact Knife Rights’ signature Knife Law Preemption in Ohio. This bill follows on Gov. DeWine’s signing of Knife Rights’ Ohio Knife Law Reform bill, SB 140, earlier this year. Those reforms become law on April 12th. Unfortunately, without knife law preemption, numerous cities and towns in Ohio are still able to ban many knives that are perfectly legal under Ohio’s statutes.

Knife Law Preemption is a Knife Rights criminal justice reform effort that repeals and prevents local ordinances more restrictive than state law which only serve to confuse or entrap law-abiding citizens traveling within or through the state. Preemption ensures citizens can expect consistent enforcement of state knife laws everywhere within a state.

Rep. Cutrona said, “HB 243 is important legislation for Ohioans because it ensures consistency in knife law across the state. It will give our citizens confidence that they can legally carry the tools they use every single day without fear of an unjust arrest. HB 243 ensures liberty and is critically important criminal justice reform.”

HB 243 is co-sponsored by Representatives Gary Click, Jennifer Gross, Kris Jordan, Craig S. Riedel and A. Nino Vitale.

Knife Rights passed the nation’s first Knife Law Preemption bill in Arizona in 2010 and has since passed preemption bills in Alaska, Georgia, Kansas, New Hampshire, Oklahoma, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, West Virginia and Wisconsin.

Knife Rights will let you know when it is time to contact your legislators to support HB 243.

Knife Rights is America’s grassroots knife owners’ organization; leading the fight to Rewrite Knife Law in America™ and forging a Sharper Future for all Americans™. Knife Rights efforts have resulted in 33 bills enacted repealing knife bans in 23 states and over 100 cities and towns since 2010.