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Read. Follow. Verify.Ohio Enacts Keep Them Safe Act to Authorize Voluntary Firearm Storage and Fund Security Details
Last action · September 17, 2026: Effective Appropriations effective June 18, 2026Sponsors: Kyle Koehler and 22 others
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What This Bill Does
The General Assembly enacted the Keep Them Safe Act (SB 273), which establishes a formal legal framework allowing firearm owners to voluntarily store weapons with s or law enforcement agencies, creates the security, investigations, and policing fund, and appropriates $10,000,000 for state security operations.
Firearm owners gain a legal option to temporarily store weapons with dealers or police with civil liability protections, while the state allocates $10,000,000 to fund executive protection and candidate security details through fiscal years 2026 and 2027.
- The Ohio General Assembly is the state legislature responsible for enacting laws and passing state operating and capital appropriations. context
- Senate Bill 273 was introduced by Senator Kyle Koehler and completed legislative passage before being enacted into law. context
Who It Affects
Groups the bill's text affects, as described in the record. Being affected is not a position for or against it.
Firearm owners
Firearm owners gain the legal option to place firearms into voluntary storage with dealers or law enforcement and are protected by confidentiality rules regarding their application data.
Federally licensed firearms dealers
Dealers may establish storage policies, are subjected to federal acquisition and transfer laws, and receive civil liability immunity for storing or returning firearms unless acting with malicious intent.
Law enforcement agencies
Law enforcement agencies may establish return policies, are granted civil liability immunity under Chapter 2744, and can receive reimbursements for candidate security assistance.
State Highway Patrol troopers
State Highway Patrol troopers are funded through the security, investigations, and policing fund to perform executive protection, major criminal investigations, and candidate security.
Key Facts
You don't have to trust us. Each fact below is taken straight from the official document - click any one to see the exact passage, highlighted in the original.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can a police department or licensed dealer refuse to store my firearm?
Are my personal details kept private when I store a firearm under this law?
What happens if a dealer or police agency refuses to return a stored firearm without legal cause?
What else do you want to know?
News Coverage
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Votes, people, money & the original sourceWhere This Stands
Current status: Signed into law.
Procedural history
14 actions- Sep 17, 2026EnrolledEffective Appropriations effective June 18, 2026
- Jun 18, 2026EnrolledSigned By The Governor
- Jun 12, 2026EnrolledSent To The Governor
- Jun 10, 2026SenateFloorConcurred in House amendments
- Jun 9, 2026HouseCommitteeReported - Amended (Finance)
- Jun 9, 2026HouseFloorPassed
Show 8 earlier actions
- Jun 3, 2026HouseCommitteeReported - Substitute - Re-referred to Rules and Reference (Public Safety)
- Jun 3, 2026HouseCommitteeReported - Re-referred to Finance (Rules and Reference)
- Feb 4, 2026HouseCommitteeReferred to Public Safety
- Nov 25, 2025HouseIntroducedIntroduced
- Nov 19, 2025SenateFloorPassed
- Nov 19, 2025SenateCommitteeReported - Substitute (Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety)
- Oct 1, 2025SenateCommitteeReferred to Armed Services, Veterans Affairs and Public Safety
- Sep 24, 2025SenateIntroducedIntroduced
Version history & redline
8 versions on fileVoting Record
Favorable Passage
Total
33
- Yes
- 33
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (11)
Show 6 earlier roll calls
Favorable Passage
Total
31
- Yes
- 31
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (31)
Re-referred
Total
96
- Yes
- 84
- No
- 12
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (12)
Re-referred
Total
13
- Yes
- 13
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (13)
Re-referred
Total
11
- Yes
- 11
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (11)
Passed
Total
33
- Yes
- 33
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
How they voted (32)
Favorable Passage
Total
5
- Yes
- 5
- No
- 0
- Present
- 0
- Not voting
- 0
- Abstain
- 0
Lobbying Activity
No state lobbying filings in our records match this bill. Federal lobbying reports (LDA) cover Congress, so they are not listed on state bills.
Full breakdown
Who this bill affects and the strongest case for and against it, written only from the bill’s own text.
Sponsors
Show 18 more sponsors
Discoveries
Patterns POLISCOPE noticed across the record. These are observations to investigate, not conclusions.
Fund Transfer for Security and Investigations
The legislation mandates an immediate transfer of $10,000,000 from the General Revenue Fund to the Security, Investigations, and Policing Fund to support state security details.
Connected Entities
Sources
www.legislature.ohio.gov
Analysis Score
0–100- Significance85How much this matters to a regular citizen
- Controversy35Intensity of disagreement among stakeholders
- Entertainment10Compellingness for a non-policy-wonk reader
- Buzz40Current news / social attention level
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