The Ohio conceal license is a handgun only license. It is a concealed handgun license (CHL). This license does not cover any other concealed weapons.
Don’t focus too much on the caliber. While a higher caliber has great stopping power (knock down power). The higher caliber will be harder to get shots off more quickly and more accurately. The National Rifle Association and other experts recommend conceal carrying a 9 mm or higher for semi-automatics and a 38 special or higher for revolvers. But they also recommend carrying the highest caliber that you can reliably shoot. If that is the smaller caliber 22 LR, then you should carry a 22 LR. Lack of confidence in your shooting abilities will make you lose the fight before it starts.
Don’t think of your starting point as an endpoint. As you continue to train and practice you can build shooting confidence and familiarity with higher calibers.
No. If you do not own a gun, I would recommend not buying one before the class. During the course you will have the opportunity to use various firearms and makes, sizes, and calibers. See what works best for you and get the opinion of your instructor and fellow classmates to help make an informed decision. You’ll also want to test fire a handgun before buying it. Just handling it in the gun store is not the same as shooting it. You want to make sure that you can operate it and comfortably shoot it.
“Castle Doctrine” generally encompasses the idea that a person does not have a duty to retreat from the residence he lawfully occupies before using force in self-defense or defense of another. Additionally, there is no duty to retreat if a person is lawfully in his vehicle or is lawfully an occupant in a vehicle owned by an immediate family member of that person.
However, being a lawful occupant of a residence or vehicle is not a license to use deadly force against an attacker. The person who is attacked, without fault of his own, may use deadly force only if he reasonably and honestly believed that deadly force was necessary to prevent serious bodily harm or death. If the person does not have this belief, he should not use deadly force. Again, if it does not put your life or the life of others in danger, you should withdraw from the confrontation if it is safe for you to do so.
The law presumes you to have acted in self-defense or defense of another when using deadly force if the victim had unlawfully and without privilege entered or was in the process of entering the residence or vehicle you occupy. The presumption does not apply if the defendant was lawfully in that residence or vehicle. The presumption does not apply if the victim had a right to be in, or was a lawful resident of, the residence or vehicle.
Ohio law was changed in 2019 in self-defense cases. If there is evidence that tends to support that a person accused of a crime used force in self-defense, the burden shifts to the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that the accused did not use force in self defense, defense of another or defense of one’s residence.
Statutory Reference(s): ORC 2901.05 sets forth the burden shift. ORC 2901.09(B) establishes that there is no duty to retreat before using force if a person is lawfully within their residence, vehicle, or a vehicle owned by an immediate family member
We can't answer that. What we can do is encourage you to research the reciprocity maps and rules for the destination and each state in between. It is your responsibility to determine the laws of the state you are visiting. The final word always comes from the state itself. If you look up “concealed carry” in the state you’re visiting, go to the “.gov” site for their concealed carry control agency. Sometimes it’s the state police, sometimes it’s the attorney general. They usually have an FAQ (frequently asked questions). Ignorance of the law is never an excuse.