Columbus Officials Tell ‘High-Cap’ Mag Owners: ‘Surrender to Police by July 1st or Else’

In Columbus, Ohio, authorities are intensifying their opposition to the state’s firearm preemption law. They are doing so by revising a local ordinance that already faced legal challenges, which prohibits the sale and possession of “large capacity” magazines. 

The revised ordinance mandates that existing owners must either dispose of them, make permanent modifications, or surrender them to the police by July 1st.

The Columbus ordinance establishes the definition of “large capacity” as any magazine with a capacity of 30 rounds or more.

However, the council’s intentions go beyond this limit. The current ordinance serves as a test case to challenge Ohio’s preemption law. If the courts rule in favor of the ordinance, it may pave the way for additional infringements on gun owners’ rights.

Currently, the ordinance has enforcement provisions that may affect numerous law-abiding gun owners residing in or even that may be passing through the city. This is particularly concerning, given that the courts have thus far declined to suspend the ordinance’s enforcement.

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Under the December 5 legislation, individuals in possession of a magazine capable of accommodating 30 or more rounds would face misdemeanor charges. The charges carry a mandatory sentence of 180 consecutive days in jail without work release, as well as a possible sentence of up to one year and a fine of $1,500.

On January 20, a Fairfield County judge denied the state of Ohio’s request for a preliminary injunction that would have prohibited the city’s firearm restrictions.

As a result, those restrictions were set to go into place at midnight on January 21, according to Zach Klein the Columbus City Attorney.

The Buckeye Institute, a conservative think-tank, lodged a lawsuit on February 16th in the Delaware County Common Pleas Court. The suit challenges the gun restrictions imposed by Columbus, which encompasses a part of Delaware County.

Tryon explained that the lawsuit was filed in Delaware County, which leans more conservative compared to the heavily Democratic Franklin County. He reasoned that Delaware County was the suitable jurisdiction for this type of legislation. When pressed for further details, Tryon preferred to keep his response brief, stating, “I’d like to leave it at that.”

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