Opinion ID: 2689989
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Is R.C. 9.68 a General Law for Purposes of

Text: Home Rule Analysis? {¶ 12} “A general law has been described as one which promotes statewide uniformity.” Ohio Assn. of Private Detective Agencies, Inc. v. N. Olmsted (1992), 65 Ohio St.3d 242, 244, 602 N.E.2d 1147. “Once a matter has become of such general interest that it is necessary to make it subject to statewide control as to require uniform statewide regulation, the municipality can no longer legislate in the field so as to conflict with the state.” State ex rel. McElroy v. Akron (1962), 173 Ohio St. 189, 194, 19 O.O.2d 3, 181 N.E.2d 26. {¶ 13} In Canton v. State, 95 Ohio St.3d 149, 2002-Ohio-2005, 766 N.E.2d 963, this court held that to constitute a general law for purposes of homerule analysis, a statute must “(1) be part of a statewide and comprehensive 4 January Term, 2010 legislative enactment, (2) apply to all parts of the state alike and operate uniformly throughout the state, (3) set forth police, sanitary, or similar regulations, rather than purport only to grant or limit legislative power of a municipal corporation to set forth police, sanitary or similar regulations, and (4) prescribe a rule of conduct upon citizens generally.” Canton at syllabus. {¶ 14} Applying the Canton test, the court of appeals concluded that R.C. 9.68 is not a general law, because it failed the first, third, and fourth prongs of the Canton test. For the reasons that follow, we disagree. 1. Statewide and Comprehensive Legislative Enactment {¶ 15} Under the first prong of the Canton test, we must examine whether R.C. 9.68 is part of a statewide and comprehensive legislative enactment. The court of appeals held that Sub.H.B. No. 347 pertains to a matter of statewide concern but that it is not comprehensive, because it leaves a “great deal of firearm activity unregulated.” Cleveland v. State, 185 Ohio App.3d 59, 2009-Ohio-5968, 923 N.E.2d 183, ¶ 19. Specifically, the court held that Sub.H.B. No. 347 did not address discharge of firearms, possession and sale of assault weapons, carrying firearms in public places, possession and use of firearms by minors, registration of handguns, registration and licensing of firearm dealers, licensing of firearm owners, and background checks for firearm purchasers. Id. at ¶ 20. {¶ 16} In Clyde, this court held that “[t]he General Assembly reiterated the need for uniformity in R.C. 9.68(A), which represents an attempt by that body to nullify all municipal laws impeding uniform application of the state statute.” Clyde, 120 Ohio St.3d 96, 2008-Ohio-4605, 896 N.E.2d 967, at ¶ 40. In addition to pointing to the words of the statute, we concluded that “[t]he General Assembly could not have been more direct in expressing its intent for statewide comprehensive handgun-possession laws.” Id. at ¶ 41. Thus, this court held that R.C. 2923.126, “which regulates handgun possession as part of the licensing procedure,” was a statewide comprehensive legislative enactment. Id. 5 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO {¶ 17} Therefore, today we reaffirm what we held in Clyde—that R.C. 9.68 is part of a comprehensive statewide legislative enactment—and we hold that the court of appeals erred in analyzing R.C. 9.68 in a vacuum. There are a host of state and federal laws regulating firearms. For example, statutes prohibit possession of firearms in specific places. See, e.g., R.C. 1547.69 (vessels), 2921.36 (detention and mental health facilities), 2923.121 (liquor establishments), 2923.122 (school zones), and 2923.123 (courthouses). Other statutes preclude discharge of firearms in certain locations. See, e.g., R.C. 1541.19 (state parks), 2909.08 (airports), 2923.16 (motor vehicles), 2923.161 (habitation structures), and 2923.162 (cemeteries, schoolhouses, churches, dwellings, charitable institutions, and public roads). {¶ 18} In addition, there are statutes that prohibit certain persons from possessing firearms. See, e.g., R.C. 2923.13 (felons and incompetents), 2923.15 (persons under the influence of drugs or alcohol), and 2923.211 (minors). Further, state law bans the acquisition and possession of certain firearms, such as automatic firearms, sawed off firearms, zip guns, and semiautomatic weapons. R.C. 2923.11(E) and (K) and R.C. 2923.17. Other statutes preclude the reckless transfer of a firearm to a person with a disability, R.C. 2923.20, preclude the defacement of identification marks on firearms, R.C. 2923.201, authorize interstate firearm transactions, R.C. 2923.22, and specify that locking devices be offered with all firearm sales, R.C. 2923.25. {¶ 19} Other state statutes establish a framework of laws regarding carrying concealed handguns. See, e.g., R.C. 2923.125 (licensing procedures) and 2923.126 (listing of places where carrying concealed handguns is prohibited and where it is permitted). Still other statutes enhance criminal sentences when a defendant commits certain offenses with a firearm. See, e.g., R.C. 2941.141 (oneyear prison term for general firearm specification), 2941.144 (six-year prison term for possessing an automatic firearm or a firearm with a muffler), 2941.145 (three- 6 January Term, 2010 year prison term for displaying or brandishing a firearm), 2941.146 (five-year prison term for discharging a firearm from a motor vehicle), and 2941.1412 (seven-year prison term for discharging a firearm at police officers or corrections officers). {¶ 20} Finally, our state firearm laws also integrate federal firearm laws. See, e.g., R.C. 2923.22(C). Federal laws impose mandatory background checks for firearm purchasers and prohibit persons with certain disabilities (such as prior felony convictions, mental defects, or illegal alien status) from possessing firearms. Section 922(g),(s), and (t), Title 18, U.S.Code. Federal laws also require firearm dealers to meet specific qualifications and obtain a license, and they criminalize the transport and sale of firearms by unlicensed persons. Sections 922(a) and 923, Title 18, U.S.Code. In addition, federal law requires that the sale of two or more firearms be reported to the attorney general and state law enforcement, Section 923(g)(3)(A), Title 18, U.S.Code, and requires that records of importation, production, shipment, receipt, sale, or other disposition of firearms be maintained. Section 923(g)(1), Title 18, U.S.Code. {¶ 21} A comprehensive enactment need not regulate every aspect of disputed conduct, nor must it regulate that conduct in a particularly invasive fashion. See Marich v. Bob Bennett Constr. Co., 116 Ohio St.3d 553, 2008-Ohio92, 880 N.E.2d 906, ¶ 20 (“There is no requirement that a statute must be devoid of exceptions to remain statewide and comprehensive in effect”). “ ‘[C]omprehensive’ does not mean ‘perfect.’ ” Dayton v. State, 157 Ohio App.3d 736, 2004-Ohio-3141, 813 N.E.2d 707, ¶ 89. Nor does “comprehensive” mean “exhaustive.” And the fact that regulations of firearms appear in various code chapters does not nullify the fact that they are all part of a comprehensive enactment concerning firearms. This court, in Am. Fin. Servs. Assn. v. Cleveland, 112 Ohio St.3d 170, 2006-Ohio-6043, 858 N.E.2d 776, held that the General Assembly had enacted comprehensive consumer mortgage lending regulations 7 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO even though the applicable provisions–R.C. 1.63 and 1349.25 through 1349.37– were codified in two different chapters. Id. at ¶ 33. {¶ 22} Again, we hold that the court of appeals erred in considering R.C. 9.68 in isolation. In Clermont Environmental Reclamation Co. v. Wiederhold (1982), 2 Ohio St.3d 44, 2 OBR 587, 442 N.E.2d 1278, when considering whether a statute prohibiting regulation of properly licensed hazardous waste disposal facilities by a political subdivision was a valid general law, we held that “[t]he section of law questioned    should not be read and interpreted in isolation from the other sections [of the Revised Code Chapter] dealing with the state’s control of the disposal of hazardous wastes. All such sections read in pari materia do not merely prohibit subdivisions of the state from regulation of these facilities. Conversely, the statutory scheme contained in this chapter is a comprehensive one enacted to insure that such facilities are designed, sited, and operated in the manner which best serves the statewide public interest.” Id. at 48. {¶ 23} “Considered in isolation,    a provision may fail to qualify as a general law because it prohibits a municipality from exercising a local police power while not providing for uniform statewide regulation of the same subject matter.” N. Olmsted, 65 Ohio St.3d 242, 245, 602 N.E.2d 1147. Rather than considering R.C. 9.68 in pari materia with other statutes regulating firearms, the court of appeals considered the provision in isolation, leading to the erroneous conclusion that the statute is not part of a statewide comprehensive legislative enactment regulating firearms. {¶ 24} We note that when we determined in Clyde that R.C. 9.68 is part of a statewide and comprehensive legislative enactment, we took into account that the General Assembly had “express[ed] its intent for statewide comprehensive handgun possession laws.” Clyde, 120 Ohio St.3d 96, 2008-Ohio-4605, 896 N.E.2d 967, ¶ 41. The General Assembly indicated that its intent in enacting R.C. 9.68 was “to provide uniform laws throughout the state” for firearm ownership 8 January Term, 2010 and possession. R.C. 9.68(A). Moreover, statements made on the floor of the House of Representatives and the Senate reflect the General Assembly’s belief that the legislation would bring uniformity to the state, superseding the existing patchwork of local firearm ordinances, which varied from one jurisdiction to the next. See statements of Representative Jim Aslanides, House Session, Mar. 8, 2006, 126th General Assembly and Senator Jim Jordan, Senate Session, Nov. 29, 2006, 126th General Assembly. {¶ 25} We reaffirm the holding that R.C. 9.68 is part of a statewide comprehensive legislative enactment. 2. Uniform Operation Throughout the State {¶ 26} As noted by the court of appeals, it is undisputed that R.C. 9.68 meets the second prong of the Canton test. The statute applies to all parts of the state and operates uniformly. 3. Establishes Police Regulations Rather Than Granting or Limiting Municipal Legislative Power {¶ 27} Under the third prong of the Canton test, a general law must set forth police, sanitary, or similar regulations rather than simply granting or limiting municipal legislative power. The court of appeals held that R.C. 9.68 attempts to curtail the city’s home rule police powers without enacting legislation to remedy the purported ill of a confusing patchwork of municipal regulations involving firearms. The appellate court once again found that R.C. 9.68 has many gaps, and