Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine just signed a bill into law that will expand “Stand Your Ground” rights in the state.
People are no longer required to retreat before they hurt or take someone’s life in self-defense, according to Cleveland.com. They are also allowed to use deadly force in self-defense even if they are outside of their home or vehicle, a break from previous laws.
Videos by VICE
Ohio is now the 36th state in the U.S. that does not require residents to retreat from a potentially dangerous situation before resorting to force, according to Cleveland.com.
“I have always believed that it is vital that law-abiding citizens have the right to legally protect themselves when confronted with a life-threatening situation,” DeWine said in a statement Monday evening.
Senate Bill 175, which DeWine signed, has caused its fair share of tension between the governor and state legislators. Last month, DeWine told the Cincinnati Enquirer that before signing off on a Stand Your Ground expansion in the state, he wanted lawmakers to first pass a slate of gun reform proposals he introduced days after an August 2019 mass shooting in Dayton.
By Monday, however, the governor had changed his tune but expressed that he was disheartened by the lack of progress on serious and effective gun reform.
“I am very disappointed, however, that the Legislature did not include in this bill the essential provisions that I proposed to make it harder for dangerous criminals to possess and use guns,” he said in a statement.
Various versions of “Stand Your Ground” bills have been circulating around the Ohio Legislature for the last few months, and a bill similar to SB-175 was introduced by Ohio House Republicans last November.
Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley called the governor’s signing of SB-175 “dangerous” on Twitter Monday evening.
“I can’t express my level of disappointment,” she said in a statement. “Gov. DeWine came to our city and stood on stage for a vigil for our murdered friends and neighbors and told us he stood with the community in our fight against gun violence. Now it seems he does not.”
