An Act to Prohibit the Carrying or Wearing of Concealed Weapons, Acts of a General Nature of the State of Ohio, §§1-2 (1859).

"Section 1. Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of Ohio, That whoever shall carry a weapon or weapons, concealed on or about his person, such as a pistol, bowie knife, dirk, or any other dangerous weapon, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction of the first offense shall be fined not exceeding two hundred dollars, or imprisoned in the county jail not more than thirty days; and for the second offense, not exceeding five hundred dollars, or imprisoned in the county jail not more than three months, or both, at the discretion of the court.
Sec. 2. If it shall be proved to the jury, from the testimony on the trial of any case presented under the first section of this act, that the accused was, at the time of carrying any of the weapon or weapons aforesaid, engaged in the pursuit of any lawful business, calling, or employment, and that the circumstances in which he was placed at the time aforesaid were such as to justify a prudent man in carrying the weapon or weapons aforesaid for the defense of his person, property or family, the jury shall acquit the accused."

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Acts of a General Nature and Local Laws and Joint Resolutions, Passed by the General Assembly, of the State of Ohio: At its Second Session, Begun and Held in the City of Columbus, January 3, 1859, and the Fifty-Seventh Year of Said State, vol. 56 (Columbus, OH: Richard Nevins, 1859), 56-57. An Act to Prohibit the Carrying or Wearing of Concealed Weapons, §§1-2. Enacted 18 March, 1859.