OHIO LEGISLATIVE SERVICE COMMISSION
Office of Research Legislative Budget
www.lsc.ohio.gov and Drafting Office
S.B. 307 Bill Analysis
135th General Assembly
Click here for S.B. 307’s Fiscal Note
Version: As Introduced
Primary Sponsors: Sens. Smith and Craig
Effective date:
Ashley F. Dean, Attorney
SUMMARY
▪ Prohibits certain conduct regarding trigger cranks, bump-fire devices, and other items
that accelerate a semi-automatic firearm’s rate of fire but do not convert it into an
automatic firearm and makes a violation of the prohibition the offense of illegal rate-of-
fire acceleration conduct.
▪ Includes a conviction or delinquent child adjudication for a violation of the prohibition
described in the preceding dot point as a disability that subjects the person to the
prohibition under the offense of having weapons while under a disability.
▪ Specifies that if a person who is prohibited from acquiring, having, carrying, or using
firearms obtains court relief from the prohibition, the relief is automatically void upon the
person’s violation of the prohibition described in the second preceding dot point.
DETAILED ANALYSIS
Offense of “illegal rate-of-fire acceleration conduct”
The bill enacts a prohibition in the Weapons Law that, on and after the date that is 180
days after the bill’s effective date, prohibits a person from importing, manufacturing, selling,
transferring, or possessing a trigger crank, a bump-fire device, or any part, combination of parts,
component, device, attachment, or accessory that is designed or functions to accelerate the rate
of fire of a semi-automatic firearm but not convert the semi-automatic firearm into an automatic
firearm. A violation of the prohibition is the offense of illegal rate-of-fire acceleration conduct, a
fourth degree felony.1
1 R.C. 2923.133(A) and (C).
November 27, 2024
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
The prohibition does not apply with respect to the importation for, manufacture for, sale
to, transfer to, or possession of any item specified in the preceding paragraph by or under U.S.
authority or any U.S. department or agency or by Ohio, any other state, or a department, agency,
or political subdivision of Ohio or any other state.2
Offense of “having weapons while under disability” and relief
from disability
Offense of “having weapons while under disability”
The bill specifies that a conviction or delinquent child adjudication for illegal rate-of-fire
acceleration conduct, as described above, is a disability that disqualifies the person from certain
firearm-related or dangerous ordnance-related conduct under the existing offense of having
weapons while under disability. The prohibition under that offense prohibits a person, unless
relieved from disability under operation of law or legal process, from knowingly acquiring, having,
carrying, or using any firearm or dangerous ordnance if any of five specified disabilities apply. A
violation of the prohibition is the offense of having weapons while under disability, a third degree
felony. The bill adds a conviction or delinquent child adjudication for a violation of the prohibition
under the bill’s offense of illegal rate-of-fire acceleration conduct as a sixth disability with respect
to which the prohibition will apply.3
The five currently specified disabilities with respect to which the prohibition applies,
unchanged by the bill, are that the person in question: (1) is a fugitive from justice, (2) is under
indictment for or has been convicted of or adjudicated a delinquent child for committing a felony
offense of violence, (3) is under indictment for or has been convicted of or adjudicated a
delinquent child for committing a felony drug abuse offense of a specified nature, (4) is drug
dependent, in danger of drug dependence, or a chronic alcoholic, or (5) is under adjudication of
mental incompetence, has been committed to a mental institution, has been found by a court to
be a mentally ill person subject to court order, or is an involuntary patient other than one only
under observation.4
Relief from disability
Operation of the bill
Existing law, unchanged by the bill except as described in this paragraph, contains a
mechanism (described below) pursuant to which a person who is prohibited from acquiring,
having, carrying, or using firearms may apply to a specified court for relief from the prohibition.
The mechanism is not available to persons in any of a few specified categories. Under the
mechanism, if the court makes specified findings, it may grant the requested relief. Currently,
relief from disability granted under the mechanism is automatically void upon commission by the
applicant of any offense, or inclusion by the applicant in any category, that puts the person in any
2 R.C. 2923.133(B).
3 R.C. 2923.13(A) and (B).
4 R.C. 2923.13(A)(1) to (5).
P a g e |2 S.B. 307
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
of the five disabilities with respect to which the prohibition under the offense of “having weapons
while under disability” currently applies, as described above. Regarding the bill’s offense of illegal
rate-of-fire acceleration conduct, as described above, and the relief mechanism:5
1. The bill does not make the relief mechanism unavailable to a person who is prohibited
from acquiring, having, carrying, or using firearms based on a conviction of that offense;
2. The bill expands the automatic voiding provision described above so that, in addition to
the situations that currently result in automatic voiding of relief from disability granted
under the mechanism, the relief also is automatically void upon commission by the
applicant of that offense.
Relief mechanism
Under existing law, unchanged by the bill except with respect to the automatic voiding
provision change described above under “Operation of the bill,” a person who is prohibited
from acquiring, having, carrying, or using firearms may apply to the common pleas court in the
county in which the person resides for relief from the prohibition. This relief mechanism does not
apply to a person who has been convicted unlawful use of a weapon by a violent career criminal6
or who, two or more times, has been convicted of a felony and any of six designated firearms
specifications (e.g., the person had, brandished, or used a firearm, had an automatic firearm, or
had a firearm equipped with a muffler or silencer while committing the felony; discharged a
firearm from a motor vehicle or at a peace officer; or possessed a firearm as a violent career
criminal while committing a violent felony; etc.).7 The application must include specified
information regarding the applicant’s fitness for relief and the basis of the applicant’s disability.
The prosecutor is served with a copy of and may object to the application, and the court conducts
a hearing on it. The court may grant the applicant relief from the prohibition if it makes specified
findings at the hearing.
Relief from disability granted under the mechanism restores the applicant to all civil
firearm rights to the full extent enjoyed by any citizen, and it applies only with respect to the
factor that was the basis for the applicant’s disability; applies only with respect to firearms
lawfully acquired, possessed, carried, or used by the applicant; and may be revoked by the court
at any time for good cause shown and upon notice to the applicant. Additionally, as described
above under “Operation of the bill,” the relief from disability is automatically void upon the
person’s commission of any offense or inclusion in any category that puts the person in any of
the disabilities with respect to which the prohibition under the offense of having weapons while
under disability currently applies, as expanded by the bill and described above under
“Operation of the bill.”8
5 R.C. 2923.14(A)(2) and (F)(4).
6 R.C. 2923.132, not in the bill.
7 R.C. 2941.141, 2941.144, 2941.145, 2941.146, 2941.1412, and 2941.1424, not in the bill.
8 R.C. 2923.14.
P a g e |3 S.B. 307
As Introduced
Office of Research and Drafting LSC Legislative Budget Office
HISTORY
Action Date
Introduced 07-30-24
ANSB0307IN-135/ts
P a g e |4 S.B. 307
As Introduced


Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 2923.13, 2923.14