Ohio lawmakers approve concealed carry at colleges, day cares

Ohio Gov. John Kasich at Thomas farms Community Center in Rockville, Md. on April 25, 2016. (Copyright 2016 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistribu)

Lawmakers in Ohio approved legislation Friday morning expanding the state's concealed-weapons law to allow guns in colleges and day care centers and on private aircraft.

The legislation still permits those places to ban guns if they wish. It keeps a ban on concealed weapons in government buildings, including libraries.

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The bill now goes to Gov. John Kasich's desk for his signature.

The Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Association opposed the bill, but the Buckeye State Sheriffs' Association supported it. Critics argued that the bill may endanger students. Supporters said it could help prevent mass shootings or similar attacks.

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Currently, 23 states allow their college and universities to decide whether to allow concealed weapons on campus, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. It reports that Utah is the only state that specifically prohibits its colleges from banning concealed carry.

The bill was sponsored by Republican state Rep. Ron Maag of Lebanon, in southwestern Ohio.

Last week, 18-year-old Somali-born student Abdul Razak Ali Artan drove his car into a crowd on the campus of Ohio State University in Columbus and went on a stabbing rampage before a police officer shot and killed him.

Investigators have said Artan was inspired by Islamic State propaganda, but they were still investigating the claim by the terrorist group that it had recruited him.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.