SB 278 Ohio Senate · 136th Legislature (2025-2026)

Permit monetary damages against municipal corps with gun controls

Summary

To amend section 9.68 of the Revised Code to permit individuals to seek punitive or exemplary damages against municipal corporations that pass gun control measures.

Issues: ✗ Criminal Justice

Bill status passed 3 of 5 stages cleared

Introduction

Oct 2025

Committee Review

May 2026

Senate Passage

Apr 2026

House Passage

Governor

Introduced Oct 7, 2025 Last action May 13, 2026

Maddy AI version diff · 1 comparison

What changed between versions

As Introduced → As Passed by the Senate · 3 edits · Apr 15, 2026

MINOR

The bill was amended to expand the list of Senate cosponsors and to add a new exemption for zoning ordinances that regulate the hours of operation or geographic locations of gun and knife sales, provided they do not effectively ban sales in commercial areas. The core legal text regarding the right to bear arms and the ability to sue municipalities for damages remains substantively unchanged, though the formatting was adjusted to standard legislative style.

Scope change

The bill's scope was slightly narrowed by adding specific exceptions for certain types of zoning laws that previously might have been considered violations.

ELIGIBILITY

Added five new cosponsors to the bill: Senators Brenner, Chavez, Cutrona, Gavarone, and Huffman.

REQUIREMENT

Added a new subsection (D)(2) exempting zoning ordinances that specify hours of operation or geographic areas for gun and knife sales, as long as they are consistent with other retail establishments and do not effectively ban sales in commercial zones.

TECHNICAL

Changed the bill header from 'As Introduced' to 'As Passed by the Senate' and reorganized the text layout to match standard legislative formatting.

Floor votes · Senate Apr 15, 2026

How they voted

24–9

Passed

Total votes 33

Apr 15, 2026

D Democratic9

9 Nay

100% Nay

R Republican24

24 Yea

100% Yea

Vote distribution

All Yea All Nay Mixed No data

Full legislative history

Actions timeline

Total actions

Key actions

Committee

May 13, 2026

Committee

Referred to committee

lower

Apr 21, 2026

Introduced

lower

Apr 15, 2026

Upper · Passed

Passed

upper

Oct 8, 2025

Committee

Referred to committee

upper

Oct 7, 2025

Introduced

upper

1 primary · 3 co-sponsors