Ohio
Some felons can now seek restoration of gun rights in Ohio
CINCINNATI (WKRC) – The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that some convicted felons can apply to have their gun rights restored, clarifying how Ohio law works when a single conviction triggers both state and federal firearm prohibitions.
The ruling was 6-1 by the justices, with Justice Jennifer Brunner being the only dissenting opinion.
The Ohio Supreme Court ruled that some convicted felons can apply to have their gun rights restored, clarifying how Ohio law works when a single conviction triggers both state and federal firearm prohibitions. (WKRC, Provided)
The ruling stems from a case involving an Allen County man, Patrick Heffley, convicted of domestic violence in 2006. That conviction barred him from owning a gun under both federal and state law, which is legally referred to as being under disability.
“A disability is most often created by having a conviction for an offense of violence or the possession or sale of illegal drugs,” said Glaser Law Attorney Angela Glaser. “Federal law has an equivalent disability. So, you could have a disability in state court and federal court.”
When Heffley applied in 2023 for the state to restore his gun rights, the court denied the request because of his federal gun disability.
“The importance of Heffley’s case is that when he went into his county and said, ‘Please relieve me of this disability. I’d like to carry a firearm now.’ The court read the statute in Ohio that allows him to apply for the relief and said, ‘There is language here that says if you are otherwise prohibited by law from carrying a firearm, you are not eligible to seek relief,’” said Glaser. “The state said he is not eligible because that language ‘being otherwise prohibited from carrying a firearm’ applies to the fact that he can’t lawfully carry a firearm under federal law. The trial court agreed and said, ‘You’re not eligible.’ So, Heffley appealed his case to the court of appeals. The court of appeals disagreed.”
The Ohio Supreme Court’s decision says that if a single conviction leads to both a state and federal gun disability, Ohio law still allows the person to apply to restore their gun rights. If there were one conviction leading to a state gun disability and a separate conviction leading to a federal gun disability, that would be a different thing for the courts to decide.
Glaser, who works on these types of cases, said the ruling could change how lawyers who represent these felons handle court proceedings on behalf of their clients because this ruling sets a precedent.
“If you’re in a county where your county prosecutor is consistently just telling judges, ‘He’s ineligible,’ and your case becomes a slam dunk loser at that point, then this case certainly changes your practice, because the door has now been opened,” said Glaser.
Glaser said the alternative would have created a legal trap for people seeking relief.
“I think that this was the right decision for Heffley’s case, especially,” said Glaser. “If the Ohio Supreme Court had said that Heffley was not eligible to apply to seek relief, then he would find himself in a catch-22. So, if he has to relieve himself under federal law before asking for relief under state law, this is an extremely difficult procedure.”
Even with the ruling, applications can still be denied by courts.
“I could cite numerous examples of individuals who have very old convictions who own companies and are very successful and are contributing members of society who have been granted relief, and I could cite many examples of people who have applied for relief who have recent convictions, strings of convictions that give judges great pause and concern for giving them the ability to lawfully carry a firearm,” said Glaser. “There are many applications that are denied, and the ones that are granted, in my experience, deserve to be granted.”
State Rep. Dani Isaacsohn, a Democrat who represents the 24th district and the Ohio House minority leader, raised concerns about the public safety impact.
“When we let people who are more likely to use guns to commit violent crimes have access to more weapons, it makes all of us less safe,” said Isaacsohn. “I don’t think it’s particularly controversial to think that people with a history of domestic violence who’ve previously lost their ability to wield a deadly weapon should get more access to deadly weapons. Either we care about public safety or we don’t.”
Isaacsohn said Ohio lawmakers have refused to pass common sense gun laws and have prioritized extreme legislation, leading to communities that are less safe.
“People are tired of violence in their neighborhoods. People are tired of guns flooding their streets,” said Isaacsohn. “When we say common sense gun laws, I mean the things that the vast majority of people agree on. Things like background checks, waiting periods, and keeping guns out of the hands of people who have committed domestic violence. The things that law enforcement say are helpful and would keep us safer.”
Women Helping Women, which supports domestic violence victims, said in a statement that while the ruling answers a legal question, the decision is “deeply concerning.”
The statement added: “We know from decades of experience and extensive research that access to a firearm in a domestic violence situation increases the risk of homicide by 500%. Survivors deserve to know that their safety remains the highest priority in our communities and justice system.”
Under the process for restoring gun rights, one requirement a judge must find is that the applicant has led a law-abiding life since release and appears likely to continue doing so.
NORTHEAST OHIO (WOIO) – Thousands are without power Friday after severe weather sweeps across Northeast Ohio counties, creating weather-related damage.
FirstEnergy reports more than 71,000 in Northeast Ohio are without power Friday night.
More than 22,000 are without power in Cuyahoga County.
The utility company reports that more than 700 are without power in Erie County.
Lake County reports over 1,000 outages, and Portage has over 4,000 outages.
Trumbull County is experiencing over 1,000, and Ashtabula reports over 3,000.
Lorain County is experiencing more than 3,000 reported outages, and Geauga County has more than 7,000.
Medina County reported more than 1,000.
Chardon fire crews field wave of storm calls
The Chardon Fire Department shared the calls it responded to concerning storm damage Friday evening.
Fire crews said they responded to a tree in a house at 127 Burlington Oval.
The department said a tree fell on a gas line, causing a gas leak at 408 Charleston Avenue.
Wires were reported down on South Claridon Road, closing State Route 44 near South Street.
Wires were reported down on a house near Irma and South Hambden.
Fire crews said a tree was reported down on a home at 306 North Hambden.
The department also said alarms went off at UH Geauga Hospital.
Downed wires also closed Auburn and Twing roads.
The department said power was out on the south side of Chardon City.
Another tree was reported to have fallen into a house at 109 Burlington Oval, but no injuries were reported.
Fire crews said an incident involving a tree in a house and electric lines was reported at 11396 Aquilla Road, but no injuries were reported.
Fallen tree takes out power line in Independence
The city of Independence said a downed tree took out a live power line on lower Stone Road.
The city asked the public to avoid the area because of the danger posed by live wires.
The city said FirstEnergy had been notified and both police and firefighters were on scene.
Downed wires prompt closures across Hambden
The Hambden Fire Department said Friday night it was dealing with multiple storm-related incidents.
Crews said Claridon Troy Road was closed between Route 608 and Chardon Windsor Road because of downed poles and wires.
Kenny Drive was closed south of Leaders Mobile Home Park because of downed wires across the road, according to fire crews.
Multiple wires were reported down on Route 6 near Cutts and Grant Street along the north side of the road.
The department said the public should use caution in areas with downed wires and poles and should not attempt to move any of the wires.
Anyone with an electrical emergency or who encounters downed wires is asked to call 9-1-1.
Hambden Fire said people should not call 9-1-1 to report an outage.
The department said FirstEnergy is aware of these issues and is working to fix them.
Check FirstEnergy’s, AEP’s, and Cleveland Public Power’s websites for the latest outage numbers.
These outages come after severe thunderstorm warnings were issued for multiple Northeast Ohio counties this evening and were extended until 10:45 p.m.
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COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — Friday, July 3
Downtown Columbus: Billed as the Midwest’s largest fireworks show, Red, White & BOOM! takes place along the Scioto Mile. The fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m. More information can be found on the event’s website.
Bexley: Festivities at Capital University begin at 6:00 p.m., with a fireworks display starting at 10:00 p.m.
Buckeye Lake: The Buckeye Lake Area Star Spangled Tradition (BLASST) fireworks display will take place at approximately 10:00 p.m. The primary viewing area is at Fairfield Beach, Lake Shore Drive NE, Thornville.
Canal Winchester: First Friday at Loose Rail Brewing will feature a fireworks show at approximately 9:00 p.m. The brewery will also show Red, White & BOOM! on big screens.
Gahanna: Activities start at 5:00 p.m. at the Gahanna Municipal Golf Course and the fireworks show is at 10:00 p.m.
Newark: Central Ohio Technical College and Ohio State Newark campus will host festivities with live music and food trucks at the Martha Grace Reese Amphitheatre, culminating with a fireworks display at dusk (approximately 10:00 p.m.).
Pickerington: The city’s fireworks show starts at 10:00 p.m.
Reynoldsburg: Festivities begin at 6:00 p.m. at Civic Park, with fireworks starting at 9:45 p.m.
Saturday, July 4
Chillicothe: Fireworks are scheduled to begin at approximately 9:45 PM from the Yoctangee Park Annex.
Circleville: AMVETS Post 2256 will host food trucks, live music, and a fireworks display after dark.
Clintonville: Whetstone Park of Roses hosts a live music event followed by fireworks at 9:45 p.m.
Delaware: Fireworks will launch from the city’s Cherry Street property at 10:00 p.m.
Dublin: Independence Day Celebration activities wrap up with fireworks at 9:50 p.m. at Dublin Coffman High School.
Grove City: Fireworks will launch from Murfin Fields at 9:45 p.m.
Hilliard: Freedom Fest takes place at Roger Reynolds Municipal Park with fireworks starting around 9:45 p.m.
Lancaster: A full day of celebrations culminates with fireworks at dusk at the Fairfield County Fairgrounds.
Marysville: Fireworks at approximately 9:00 p.m. at the Union County Fairgrounds.
New Albany: The July 4th Festival ends with fireworks at 10:00 p.m. at New Albany High School.
Upper Arlington: The annual Party in the Park begins at 5:00 p.m. at Northam Park, followed by fireworks at 10:00 p.m.
Westerville: Evening festivities and food trucks can be found at the Westerville Sports Complex until the fireworks show begins at 10:00 p.m.
Worthington: The city’s celebration concludes with fireworks launched from Thomas Worthington High School at 10:00 p.m.
Real estate transfers in Licking County, Ohio, range from $55,000 to $697,500
The following are property transfers recorded in Licking County from June 15-19, 2026.
First name indicates the seller; second name represents the buyer
Bowling Green Township
- No address listed – South St.; Gohl Investments LLC; Jude Properties LLC; 6/16/2026; $55,000
Eden Township
- 12967 Pleasant Valley Road; Troyer, Bryan L; Phillips, Charles and Susan; 6/15/2026; $170,000
Granville
- 319 Summit St.; Dunham, Timothy and Jill; Lenfest, Cody and Pagett, Victoria Rose; 6/16/2026; $585,000
Harrison Township
- 6582 Outville Road SW; AJ Pataskala LLC; Bemiller, Paige O and Gillam, Hunter; 6/16/2026; $286,000
Johnstown
- 51 Kasson St.; Jones, Dana; Dyer, Steven R and Melissa C; 6/15/2026; $169,900
Madison Township
- 20 Fairfield Drive NE; Ullom, Gary and Barbara A; KP Homes LLC; 6/15/2026; $190,000
Newark
- 1781 Ashford Lane; Scott, Mark W; Bergeron, Kyle M and Jacqueline M; 6/15/2026; $697,500
- 1687 Emerald Court; Roelle, Courtney R (Trustee); Haren, Patrick and Kayla L; 6/15/2026; $410,000
- 889 Dietrich Court; Fahner, Adam and Hannah; Bales, Preston T; 6/16/2026; $315,000
- 67 N. 31st St.; Morgan, Randy; Piper, Marian Richele; 6/15/2026; $275,000
- 195 Jefferson Road; Meister, Rachel; Flippin’ Out Renovations LLC; 6/17/2026; $150,000
- 63 W. Harrison St.; Linn, Carolyn M; Bloise, David Jr; 6/16/2026; $65,000
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