(THE CENTER SQUARE) – Gun owners would not have to have liability insurance, and governments would not be allowed to charge fees to possess guns or knives if a bill in the Ohio Legislature becomes law.

The bill, which moves to the Ohio House after passing the Senate, would stop communities from requiring gun owners to carry liability insurance and pay an annual fee.

It’s seen as a preemptive strike in Ohio after San Jose, California, and the state of New Jersey recently enacted similar laws. Sponsors call the idea an infringement on Second Amendment rights.

“The Second Amendment of the United States Constitution not only grants us the right to keep and bear arms but states that this right shall not be infringed,” said Sen. Terry Johnson, R-McDermott. “Clearly, requiring a fee to own a firearm, or stipulating that gun owners must carry a special type of insurance to simply own that firearm qualify as blatant infringements. This bill seeks to ensure that this can never happen here in Ohio.”

There is no current legislation aimed at liability insurance requirements or fees. Senate Bill 58 has not had a hearing in the House.

In the Senate, it passed 24-7 along GOP-party lines. It was supported by Buckeye Firearms and the National Rifle Association. Opponents included eight individuals.

"Gun-grabbing organizations are going across the country to make it tougher for Americans to exercise their Second Amendment rights,” Sen. Theresa Gavarone, R-Bowling Green, said. “That won’t happen in Ohio while I’m here. The bottom line is that our God-given rights, like those in the Bill of Rights, do not and should not come with strings attached to exercise them – particularly financial ones.”