The House will hold a session tomorrow without voting on a controversial piece of legislation that makes it easier to use lethal force in self-defense. Opponents of the bill say the so-called “Stand Your Ground” bill was shelved because of strong public outcry.
Democratic Rep. David Leland says after several mass shootings, most Ohioans want to see moderate gun control bills. Leland believes the upcoming midterm election played a role in stalling the bill, which would have eliminated more gun regulations.
"When you get hundreds of phone calls and emails from people in your district saying they don’t want you to do a particular thing I think that has the tendency of influencing a legislator’s decision,” he said.
The bill is opposed by Gov. John Kasich but has support from majority Republicans, including the House speaker and Senate president, so it could be voted on later this year.
Pro-gun groups say the bill is written so a person with a gun still can’t escalate a situation. But it eliminates the “duty to retreat” provision of self-defense cases.
