Stand your ground halfway to approval

COLUMBUS — Lawmakers in the Ohio House began a lame-duck session by approving so-called "stand your ground" gun legislation that eliminates a requirement to retreat in confrontations before using deadly force. The GOP-controlled House voted 64-26 Wednesday in favor of the bill, House Bill 228, a supermajority large enough to override Republican Gov. John Kasich's expected veto.Backers say the bill puts Ohio in line with about 35 other states. The legislation goes next to the Senate.The House Journal shows that Rep. Steve Arndt, R-Port Clinton; Rep. Dick Stein, R-Norwalk, and Rep. Bill Reineke, R-Tiffin, all voted in favor of the bill. Stein is listed as a co-sponsor of the bill. Arndt told the Register that calling the bill a "stand your ground" bill is not accurate."It's not a stand your ground bill. It removes the individual's duty to retreat," Arndt said."Really, what it does is, it shifts the burden onto a prosecutor when you are claiming you were acting in self-defense," Arndt said. Under current law, you are considered guilty of a crime if you had the ability to retreat, Arndt said. The Ohio Legislative Black Caucus issued a statement condemning the approval of the bill as "selfish" and "hyper-partisan" and expressing hope the Ohio Senate will defeat it. The caucus said enacting the bill into law would "create an open season-like environment for everyone in our communities, particularly for our children as they go to what is supposed to be a safe haven in school.""What type of message are we sending to our communities, our children, even our law enforcement? We've seen the repercussion of bills like this with the legislative justification of the murder of Trayvon Martin," the statement said. On Thursday, the Ohio House continued the lame-duck session by approving a so-called anti-abortion "heartbeat bill."The proposal would ban abortions in Ohio after the first fetal heartbeat is detected, as early as six weeks into a pregnancy.The GOP-controlled House voted 60-35 Thursday in favor of the legislation, which does not include exceptions for rape or incest. The legislation goes next to the Senate.Ardnt voted against the bill. Stein and Reineke voted in favor of it. Republican Gov. John Kasich vetoed a similar bill in December 2016, siding with opponents who contend it is unconstitutional.Rep. Steve Arndt.