The Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, the grassroots networks of Everytown for Gun Safety, today released the following statement after the Cincinnati City Council 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 fierce opposition from mayors and police chiefs across the state — and mounting evidence that Stand Your Ground laws increase homicide rates and exacerbate gun violence — several bills with Stand Your Ground language have moved through the current lame duck session and are due to receive a vote on the floor of the Senate and House this week.
“Communities across Cincinnati – and particularly Black communities – are reeling from record gun violence this year, and the last thing we need is Stand Your Ground, a bill we know would exacerbate this crisis,” said Jill Bowman, a volunteer with the Ohio chapter of Moms Demand Action. “We are grateful for Councilman Landsman and the City Council for standing up for public safety and against Stand Your Ground.”
Yesterday, Cincinnati Mayor Cranely joined five additional Ohio mayors in penning an Op-Ed voicing opposition to Stand Your Ground as their cities face record increases in gun violence. Chiefs of Police have also voiced opposition, including Cincinnati Chief of Police Eliot Isaac — and Dayton Chief of Police Richard Biehl, who joined Dayton Mayor Nan Whaley and Moms Demand Action for a press conference calling for lawmakers to vote against Stand Your Ground and for Governor DeWine to veto the bill if Stand Your Ground lands on his desk.
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.