Thereâs a push to implement a âStand Your Groundâ? self-defense law in Ohio. Itâs a lethal self-defense provision discussed at length after the death of Trayvon Martin in Florida. But some local leaders fear the proposal would only increase violence in Ohio. Several rallies were held around the Statehouse Wednesday. The issue at the center of the protests was a bill that would create âStand Your Groundâ? laws in Ohio. This means a person would no longer be required to retreat before using deadly force in self-defense. Protesters at a rally held by the Ohio Legislative Black Caucus believe the provision would lead to increased violence combined with racial profiling. Stanley Miller, former leader of the Cleveland NAACP says thereâs a constant push for pro-gun policies that hinge on the words of the Second Amendment. Miller read the amendment out loud to the crowd then broke down its details. "Twenty-seven words, three commas, and one period. And that one sentence has been misused and interpreted so many different ways that most people never really knew what it stood for," Miller says. "And currently has resulted in more legislation and more action than any other 27 words in any document our country has.â? Leaders of the rally repeatedly brought up the death of Trayvon Martin, a teenager shot and killed in Florida. Caucus President Alicia Reece, a Democrat from Cincinnati, says the Stand Your Ground law in that state led to Martinâs death and she doesnât want to inject that kind of fear in Ohio. "This is a human interest of folks who are very much afraid of this type of law taking place and what does it mean to their young person. Will they wear the right clothes, is that against the law? Will they walk on the wrong street and get killed, or is that against the law? And so people are really afraid that this will turn into a Wild Wild West type of environment in the state of Ohio.â?
Sean Maloney is a leader with the Buckeye Firearms Association, a gun-rights advocacy group. He says liberal activists are the first ones who brought up Floridaâs Stand Your Ground laws and it was never actually used in the prosecution of George Zimmerman, the man acquitted of Trayvon Martinâs death. Maloney says adding a Stand Your Ground law wouldnât change much in the state of Ohio but urges that itâs still necessary. âI feel thatâif I reasonably believe that Iâm in fear of deathâit should stop there. My decision making process should stop there and I should have the abilityâfaced with deathâto immediately protect myself, my family members, or whoever else is nearby.â? Maloney says a person facing a deadly situation doesnât have time to think about which laws would apply to their dilemma. âNo theyâre not going toâabsolutely notâI think that analysis takes place after the fact because we already know that in a defensive gun-use situation or when weâre fighting for our life we have a rush of adrenalineâwe have tunnel visionâhearing depravationâthereâs so much physically going on that we donât even remember whatâs happened shortly before, during, or even after until days later." But to the protesters, this provision represents a much larger problem with gun policies in Ohio and around the country. Representative Reece says the General Assembly is out of touch with the majority of Ohio and the push for a Stand Your Ground law is just the latest example. Two other anti-gun rallies were held throughout the day with a group of pro-gun advocates also gathering at the Statehouse. As for the bill, the House has yet to schedule it for a second hearing.