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| To enact sections 5502.23 and 5502.231 of the Revised | 1 |
| Code to prohibit any agency and its employees and | 2 |
| agents from seizing or authorizing the seizure of | 3 |
| any firearm from any person lawfully in possession | 4 |
| or control of the firearm except when a law | 5 |
| enforcement officer reasonably believes the | 6 |
| immediate seizure of the firearm is necessary for | 7 |
| the safety of the officer or another person or to | 8 |
| preserve the firearm as evidence, to prohibit the | 9 |
| establishment of a firearm registry, and to | 10 |
| prohibit law enforcement officers and | 11 |
| international agents from enforcing a firearms | 12 |
| registration requirement or firearm ban. | 13 |
| Section 1. That sections 5502.23 and 5502.231 of the Revised | 14 |
| Code be enacted to read as follows: | 15 |
| Sec. 5502.23. (A) Except as provided in division (B) of this | 16 |
| section, no agency, or employee or agent of an agency, shall seize | 17 |
| or authorize the seizure of any firearm from any person who is | 18 |
| lawfully in possession or control of a firearm. | 19 |
| (B)(1) A law enforcement officer who is acting in the lawful | 20 |
| discharge of the officer's duties may seize a firearm in the | 21 |
| possession, or under the control, of any person if the law | 22 |
| enforcement officer reasonably believes the immediate seizure of | 23 |
| the firearm is necessary for the safety of the law enforcement | 24 |
| officer or another individual. The law enforcement officer shall | 25 |
| return the firearm to the person from whom it was seized if the | 26 |
| person is not arrested, the firearm is not seized under division | 27 |
| (B)(2) of this section, and the reason for the seizure of the | 28 |
| firearm no longer exists. | 29 |
| (2) A law enforcement officer who is acting in the lawful | 30 |
| discharge of the officer's duties may seize a firearm when the | 31 |
| seizure is necessary to preserve the firearm as evidence, or for | 32 |
| the investigation, of a criminal offense. | 33 |
| (C) As used in this section, "firearm" has the same meaning | 34 |
| as in section 2923.11 of the Revised Code. | 35 |
| Sec. 5502.231. (A) No law enforcement officer, federal law | 36 |
| enforcement officer, international agent, or other person shall | 37 |
| enforce or attempt to enforce a firearm registration requirement | 38 |
| or firearm ban in any statute or rule of this state or the United | 39 |
| States or any ordinance, resolution, or rule of a political | 40 |
| subdivision, unless the registration requirement or ban is in | 41 |
| effect prior to the effective date of this section. | 42 |
| (B) No political subdivision shall enact or adopt any | 43 |
| ordinance, resolution, or rule that requires a person to register | 44 |
| a firearm or establishes a firearm registry. | 45 |
| (C) Whoever violates division (A) of this section is guilty | 46 |
| of unlawful enforcement of a firearm registration requirement or | 47 |
| firearm ban, a felony of the first degree. | 48 |
| (D) As used in this section: | 49 |
| (1) "Federal law enforcement officer" has the same meaning as | 50 |
| in section 2921.51 of the Revised Code. | 51 |
| (2) "Firearm" has the same meaning as in section 2923.11 of | 52 |
| the Revised Code. | 53 |
| (3) "Firearm ban" means any ban or prohibition on a person's | 54 |
| possession of a firearm that is not based on the status or | 55 |
| condition of the person or limited to the possession of a firearm | 56 |
| in a school safety zone, courthouse, or other designated location. | 57 |
| (4) "Political subdivision" has the same meaning as in | 58 |
| section 2921.421 of the Revised Code. | 59 |