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Rep. Sobecki Calls for Repeal of Ohio’s “Shoot First” Law
Says no duty to retreat will
make deadly confrontations more common
State Rep. Lisa Sobecki
(D-Toledo) last week called on Statehouse leaders to repeal
Ohio’s new no duty to retreat law, which passed in December
2020. Democratic-sponsored legislation, House Bill (HB) 38,
would repeal the new shoot first law that takes effect
Tuesday.
“Ohioans want common-sense
gun safety regulations like universal background checks, not
this. The ‘no duty to retreat’ law does not make Ohio safer
and disproportionately harms minorities and Ohioans of
color,” said Rep. Sobecki. “Ohioans already have the right
to defend themselves when their lives are threatened. ‘No
duty to retreat’ discourages responsible gun ownership and
is a step in the wrong direction. Ohio laws should be
focused on reducing gun violence and the opportunities for
violence. ‘No duty to retreat’ does the opposite.”
HB 38 would repeal the
recently passed Shoot First law that permits the use of
deadly force by individuals who believe their lives are
endangered anywhere in the state. The measure was added as a
last-minute amendment to Senate Bill (SB) 175 in December
2020, and the governor signed the bill into law even after
suggesting he would veto the extreme legislation.
A recent report found that
shoot first laws may have led to an increase in total
homicides and firearm homicides in states which have enacted
them.
During discussion of the
bill on the House floor in late December, multiple
Democratic lawmakers argued that the new law will
disproportionately affect Black Ohioans and other
communities of color. In the 2012 shooting of 17-year-old
Trayvon Martin, a similar law on the books in Florida was
invoked because the shooter claimed self-defense.
Ohio’s no duty to retreat
law takes effect April 6. No hearings have been scheduled on
HB 38 to date.
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