The Ohio chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, the grassroots networks of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley – a member of Mayors Against Illegal Guns and gun sense champion – and the Dayton City Commission passed a resolution opposing Stand Your Ground, a policy that upends traditional self-defense law and allows people to shoot to kill, even when there is a clear and safe alternative. Despite mounting evidence that Stand Your Ground laws increase homicide rates and exacerbate gun violence, the Ohio State Legislature continues moving forward on Stand Your Ground, holding nearly a dozen hearings in both chambers on several versions of the policy.
“Stand Your Ground laws are proven to lead to more gun violence and make communities less safe and would move Ohio in the exact wrong direction at a time when Ohioans are demanding our leaders to do more to prevent gun violence,” said Susie Lane, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We are grateful to Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and our leaders on the City Commission for standing up for public safety and against efforts in the state legislature that would put more lives — and especially Black lives — in danger of gun violence.”
Stand Your Ground laws are associated with an increase in firearm homicides and injuries and do not deter crime. At least 30 people nationwide are killed each month as a result of Stand Your Ground laws.
Stand Your Ground laws also disproportionately impact communities of color. The policy is known for helping white shooters avoid criminal prosecution and putting Black people at further risk of gun violence. When white shooters kill Black victims, the resulting homicides are deemed justifiable 11 times more frequently than when the shooter is Black and the victim is white.
More information about the risks of Stand Your Ground policies are available here. Statistics about gun violence in Ohio are available here, and information on how Ohio’s gun laws compare to other states overall is available here.
