CLEVELAND — Kim Rodecker owns Concealed Carry Courses in Cleveland. He said a common mistake from untrained gun owners is thinking a gun is empty because there’s no magazine in it. 

What You Need To Know

  • Training for a concealed handgun license is no longer required in Ohio

  • Gov. Mike DeWine signed a bill into law that is now in effect that eliminates requirements for concealed handgun licenses

  • A concealed carry trainer said he believes the training should still be required

“You think it’s safe, right? Ok, I’ve taken the magazine out now I rack it. Oh, look at that. There’s one right there. Someone could have got shot," Rodecker said. 

The governor recently signed a new law that eliminates requirements for concealed handgun licenses. Rodecker said he is worried that fewer people will take the training now that they don’t have to. 

“This training, I still kinda feel it should be mandatory. Some people are good, they’re smart, they know how to handle a firearm. But there’s also people, if they don’t have to pay for a class, they won’t take it," Rodecker said. 

Rodecker said there are still perks to having a license, including knowing how to properly hold a gun. He showed how holding a gun wrong could cause the slide to scratch your hand, known as a slide bite. 

“That will come back and lay you open and you will bleed,” Rodecker said as he showed how a slide can cut you. 

Rodecker said that a good chunk of his training is about the state's gun laws, including what he recommends to do at a traffic stop. He said he prefers showing his hands out of the car window if he has a gun on him. 

“I’m willing to say, 'Officer, I have a CCW permit. I have a loaded handgun in the small of my back. What would you like me to do?'" Rodecker showed as he held his hands out the window of his car. 

If police ask you if you’re armed at a stop, you must tell them the truth. If you want to show them you’re armed, Rodecker said it’s illegal to even touch your gun to tell the officer where it is. 

“If the officer is outside my vehicle, I’ll say, 'Officer, I do have a firearm. It’s on my right hip at this time.' And then you ask him what he wants," Rodecker said.

Rodecker said owners should look at their gun as a last resort, not as a show of force or intimidation. 

“Don’t think because you’re carrying this and you know it’s there, that it’s courage. Don’t let this become gun courage," Rodecker said as he pointed to his holstered firearm. 

Rodecker said a firearm should be treated it like a shield and not a sword.