An “Open Carry/Firearms Education Walk” is planned for Saturday in Bowling Green.
Organizers, who have coordinated such walks on other college campuses in Ohio, will be walking with their firearms from the Bowling Green State University to the downtown area, then back. They plan to eat lunch while downtown.
The walk will start at Lot K on the campus at 1 p.m.
Bowling Green Police Chief Tony Hetrick said Ohio law allows open carry of firearms in most locations. “It’s completely legal, as long as the person is not barred from possessing a firearm,” he said.
Police officers will be made aware, but will not monitor the event.
“They are merely walking with an unconcealed firearm. That’s not illegal in any way, shape or form,” Hetrick said.
BGSU Police Chief Monica Moll said the organizer Jeffry Smith contacted her though not required to do so. In an email, she said: “He has previously conducted similar walks at the University of Akron, the University of Cincinnati and The Ohio State University. I have talked to members of the police department at each of those institutions and they said they did not have any safety concerns or problems during Mr. Smith’s event. Based on that information, I do not have any major concerns about the event at this time, but we will have some of the BGSU police officers who are working at that time maintain a presence in the vicinity of the walk.”
No number estimate for those participating was given to city police.
Hetrick said similar walks with open carry firearms have been held in the city without incident.
“There were no problems,” he said.
