![People gathered last year in Dayton to protest against the "Stand Your Ground" bill. [Scott Cornell / Shutterstock]](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/c4da0a5/2147483647/strip/true/crop/3000x2000+0+0/resize/840x560!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2Flegacy%2Fimages%2Fnews%2Fnpr%2F2020%2F12%2F947869315_1270687647.jpg)
The controversial gun law that removes the "duty to retreat" requirement before a person can use lethal force in self-defense was passed by the Ohio House late Thursday night.
The amedment to the so-called Stand Your Ground law was proposed by Rep. Kyle Koehler (R-Springfield), which was attached to SB175. The amendment was language taken from his "Stand Your Ground" bill, which he says protects people in dangerous situations.
"My right to defend myself in the United States and in Ohio from serious bodily harm or death should be extended to anywhere I am lawfully allowed to be without a duty to retreat," Koehler said.
The "Stand Your Ground" law gained national attention after the 2012 killing of Trayvon Martin, a Black teenager, in Florida.
Rep. Stephanie Howse (D-Cleveland) said gun violence goes up in "Stand Your Ground" states.
"These statistics that will tell you, when it comes to this amendment, Black people are going to die disproportionately than white people. And if you feel a certain type of way by me calling out Black people, white people, ask yourself, why?" Howse said.
Organizations representing Ohio mayors and police chiefs also have opposed the legislation and have called on Gov. Mike DeWine to veto the bill if it makes it to his desk.
For now, the bill goes to the Senate where leaders have said they have the votes to pass it.
Copyright 2020 The Statehouse News Bureau. To see more, visit The Statehouse News Bureau.
