Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine (R) signed “Stand Your Ground” legislation into law on Monday.
The Columbus Dispatch reports that the bill DeWine signed, Senate Bill 175, is designed to remove Ohioans “duty to retreat” before using lethal force in a situation where they fear their lives are endangered.
Cleveland.com noted DeWine’s signature makes Ohio the 36th state with no duty to retreat.
Upon signing the law he released a statement, saying, “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.”
In 2005, Florida became the first state to adopt a Stand Your Ground law. Since then, research has shown such laws benefit minorities.
On September 9, 2016, Breitbart News reported data from John Lott’s book, The War on Guns: Arming Yourself Against Gun Control Lies,” which showed Florida’s Stand Your Ground law benefited black people more than white people.
Lott explained: “From 2005 through October 1, 2014, blacks made up 16.7 percent of Florida’s population and 34 percent of the defendants who invoked Stand Your Ground. Black defendants who invoke this statute are actually acquitted four percentage points more frequently that whites who use this very same defense.”
AWR Hawkins is an award-winning Second Amendment columnist for Breitbart News and the writer/curator of Down Range with AWR Hawkins, a weekly newsletter focused on all things Second Amendment, also for Breitbart News. He is the political analyst for Armed American Radio. Follow him on Twitter: @AWRHawkins. Reach him at awrhawkins@breitbart.com. You can sign up to get Down Range at breitbart.com/downrange.