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# Ohio Voluntary Gun-Storage Law Takes Effect
- URL: https://www.theamericanquorum.com/state-news-ohio-2026-09-17-b/
- Published: 2026-09-17T20:44:34.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-17T20:44:34.000Z
- Description: Ohio’s Keep Them Safe Act took effect September 17, creating an optional framework for firearm owners to store guns with willing licensed dealers or law-enforcement agencies under confidentiality and return rules.
- Author: News Desk
- Tags: State News, Illinois, Ohio

Ohioans can now ask a participating firearms dealer or law-enforcement agency to hold a lawfully possessed gun under a voluntary-storage framework that took effect Thursday, September 17.

The change comes from the [Keep Them Safe Act, Senate Bill 273](https://publicfiles.ohiosos.gov/free/publications/SessionLaws/136/136-SB-273.pdf?ref=theamericanquorum.com), which created Ohio Revised Code section 2923.26\. The [Ohio secretary of state's effective-date register](https://www.ohiosos.gov/office/duties-and-responsibilities/laws-of-ohio/current-session?ref=theamericanquorum.com) lists the law's general provisions as effective September 17, while an appropriations section took effect June 18.

The new process is voluntary on both sides. A firearm owner, or someone the owner authorizes, may apply and enter an agreement with a federally licensed firearms dealer or a law-enforcement agency. But the statute does not require any dealer, police department, sheriff's office or other agency to participate, and it does not require storage to be free. Anyone considering the option should contact a potential storage location before transporting a firearm and ask about acceptance rules, fees and return procedures.

Participating dealers may establish their own policies for accepting and returning firearms. They must comply with federal acquisition, transfer and disposition laws and cannot return a gun when doing so would directly violate state or federal law. Law-enforcement agencies may likewise set return policies and must withhold a firearm when a return would be illegal. The statute defines “legal cause” to include a state or federal disability that bars a person from receiving or possessing a firearm.

The law also sets privacy and liability rules intended to make participation workable. Information submitted in a storage application or agreement is confidential, is not a public record and may be used only for the voluntary-storage process. A participating dealer receives civil immunity for claims related to acceptance, storage or return unless the dealer acts maliciously or intends to withhold a firearm without legal cause. Government agencies receive the immunity available under Ohio's political-subdivision law.

Owners retain a remedy if a firearm is held without legal cause. If a court finds that a dealer or agency improperly refused a demanded return, the court must award reasonable costs and attorney fees to the person who sought the order, in addition to other relief.

The [Ohio Senate said the measure passed both chambers unanimously](https://ohiosenate.gov/members/kyle-koehler/news/ohio-senate-sends-koehlers-keep-them-safe-act-to-governor?ref=theamericanquorum.com). Sponsor Sen. Kyle Koehler, a Springfield Republican, said the proposal began as an option for veterans and law-enforcement officers dealing with mental-health crises but is available to any gun owner. The Senate release also listed support from gun-rights organizations and suicide-prevention groups.

Practically, the law creates a legal lane for temporary off-site storage rather than a statewide mandate or confiscation program. It does not guarantee that a nearby dealer or agency will accept a gun, prescribe a uniform fee or override background-check and possession restrictions. Availability will depend on which local dealers and agencies choose to participate and what policies they adopt.