DeWine signs 'stand your ground' legislation after considering a veto of the GOP gun bill

By Gary Abernathy

Mike and Fran DeWine are pictured during a visit to Hillsboro, Ohio, in 2018.

Last week, Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine signed a Republican-backed “stand your ground” bill after earlier threatening to veto the legislation. The bill removes the “duty to retreat” before using lethal force in self-defense.

DeWine had earlier threatened to veto the bill after the legislature failed to act on gun control measures he had proposed following the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton. But last week, DeWine said, "I have always believed that it is vital that law-abiding citizens have the right to legally protect themselves when confronted with a life-threatening situation. I am very disappointed, however, that the legislature did not include in this bill the essential provisions that I proposed to make it harder for dangerous criminals to illegally possess and use guns."

DeWine knows he’s unpopular with many conservative Republicans over the restrictions he’s consistently imposed in response to covid-19, so he could scarcely afford to alienate them further — especially if he hopes to survive another GOP primary in 2022.