'Stand Your Ground' Law Now In Effect In Ohio

OHIO — Senate Bill 175 — better known as Ohio's Stand Your Ground law — goes into effect Tuesday.

"Many states have this [law]," Gov. Mike DeWine said Monday. "I expect people to be responsible moving forward."

The legislation allows Ohioans to shoot someone if they are in fear of harm and deadly force is necessary. Anyone firing their weapon at a person must be at their residence or defending themselves or someone else from harm, according to the legislation.

The amended Senate Bill 175 effectively eliminates the requirement for anyone to retreat from a dangerous situation before using a gun.

DeWine signed the bill into law in January 2021, despite advocating for tighter firearm regulations in preceding years. The governor introduced a variety of gun control proposals following a mass shooting in Dayton 2019. The Ohio Senate and Ohio House has failed to take up any of DeWine's proposals.

While he said he was disappointed by the Ohio General Assembly's reaction to gun control legislation, DeWine still signed Senate Bill 175 into law. The decision drew the ire of many leading Ohio Democrats.

State Rep. Phil Robinson, of Solon, said the bill creates a "shoot first" and "kill at will" system in Ohio. State Sen. Cecil Thomas, of Cincinnati, said the legislation will "certainly not" reduce violence in Ohio. State Sen. Tina Maharath, of Columbus, said Ohio Republicans were ignoring the calls of the populace.

"Our role as legislators is to protect Ohioans, and they have called on us again and again to ‘do something’ about gun violence in our state. Instead, we’re prioritizing a dangerous bill that creates more opportunities for people to be killed," she said.

DeWine defended himself from criticism, saying the Senate Bill 175 will remove ambiguity from Ohio's self-defense laws.