Ohio shooting ranges (handguns, laws)

[scarecrow-]

Does anyone know if I can rent a gun at a range if I'm an out of state resident?

[An Einnseanair]

I am unaware of any Ohio state or federal laws that would prohibit a non-resident from renting a gun from a range for use at that range. The BATFE prohibits transfers to out-of-state residents but there are specific exceptions for short-term loans or rentals. A few states (Washington, California, New York, etc.) have various laws that apply to transfers that would apply in the case of a rental, but those laws don't apply in Ohio.

The range itself may have rules about renting to non-residents, but if they refuse because of some vague "state law" then my guess is they are lying to try and shift the blame to someone else. Or else they are ignorant of federal law and are confused about the definition of "transfer".

[TaxPhd]

Originally Posted by jwkilgore

I am unaware of any Ohio state or federal laws that would prohibit a non-resident from renting a gun from a range for use at that range. The BATFE prohibits transfers to out-of-state residents but there are specific exceptions for short-term loans or rentals. A few states (Washington, California, New York, etc.) have various laws that apply to transfers that would apply in the case of a rental, but those laws don't apply in Ohio.

The range itself may have rules about renting to non-residents, but if they refuse because of some vague "state law" then my guess is they are lying to try and shift the blame to someone else. Or else they are ignorant of federal law and are confused about the definition of "transfer".

For handguns, yes. But not for long guns.

[An Einnseanair]

I made the assumption that the OP was talking about handguns, but that assumption doesn't change the result of my answer. Allow me to rephrase to be more precise and detailed:

I am unaware of any Ohio state or federal laws that would prohibit a non-resident from renting a gun from a range for use at that range. The BATFE prohibits transfers to out-of-state residents without a form 4473 filed through an FFL and a background check, but there are specific exceptions for short-term loans or rentals. This applies to both handguns and long guns. Hand guns have the additional restriction that the FFL must be in the transferee's state of residence, so a gun store may not permanently transfer (sell) a handgun directly to an out-of-state resident. But this does not apply to rentals for use on-site. A few states (Washington, California, New York, etc.) have various laws that apply to transfers that may apply in the case of a rental, but those laws don't apply in Ohio.

Or you could use my first post which answers the question without so many confusing extra facts.