Ohio lawmakers just passed one of the biggest gun bills in years — and now the whole thing sits on Gov. Mike DeWine’s desk.

On Tuesday, Nov. 10, the Ohio General Assembly passed Senate Bill 214, which removes firearm suppressors (also called silencers), short-barreled rifles, and short-barreled shotguns — including sawed-off shotguns — from the state’s legal category of “dangerous ordnance.” The House passed the amended bill 68-27, and the Senate agreed to the House’s changes the same day, 21-9. The bill now awaits the governor’s decision.

Here’s what would change. Under current Ohio law, possessing a suppressor or a short-barreled firearm without federal registration is a fifth-degree felony. SB 214 strikes those items from the dangerous-ordnance list in the Ohio Revised Code, so Ohioans would no longer need federal registration to own them. Purchases from licensed dealers would still require a federal background check, and machine guns stay on the dangerous-ordnance list.

The bill started as a suppressor-only measure. State Sen. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield) introduced it in June 2025, and the Senate passed that version 31-1 in March 2026. On Nov. 10, the House Public Safety Committee expanded it to add short-barreled rifles and shotguns, and both chambers passed the broader version the same day.

Supporters say the bill simply lines Ohio law up with Washington. The federal government zeroed out the $200 tax on these items earlier this year, and in October the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives said it would no longer enforce the old federal registration rules for them. “This is in no way shape or form anything that’s going to make Ohio less safe,” said State Rep. Tex Fischer (R-Boardman), per Signal Ohio. State Rep. Adam Mathews (R-Warren County), a co-sponsor, called it “common sense legislation.” Rep. Kellie Deeter (R-Lorain County) said suppressors are tools for ear protection, not stealth accessories. Even some Democrats agreed: Rep. Mark Sigrist (D-Grove City) called it a “limited adjustment” to reflect the new federal rules, and six House Democrats voted yes.

Opponents say the bill goes too far, too fast. Hamilton County Sheriff Charmaine McGuffey held a press conference Friday urging DeWine to veto it, saying easing restrictions could make it harder for law enforcement to protect the public, according to Star 64. State Rep. Cecil Thomas (D-Cincinnati) argued in committee that short-barreled firearms are different from suppressors because “these are powerful weapons and their size makes them easier to conceal.” Senate Minority Leader Nickie Antonio (D-Lakewood) said deregulating sawed-off shotguns is out of step with voters who want leaders focused on the cost of living. Democrats also point to the toll of gun violence: gunshots killed more than 1,700 Ohioans in 2024, the most recent data available from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

DeWine has 10 days, Sundays excepted, from when the bill is presented to him to sign it or veto it. If he does nothing, it becomes law without his signature. The bill carries no emergency clause, so if it becomes law it would take effect 90 days later — at the earliest, February 2027.

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