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Activists Campaign Against Stand Your Ground With Mom Of Florida Victim

WCBE 90.5FM | By Ohio Public Radio

Published March 14, 2014 at 7:27 PM EDT

Activists have been pushing against a crop of new gun-related bills in Ohio, including one they call a “stand your ground” law. And they invited the mother of a Florida teenager killed in a high-profile shooting to lobby with them.

Lucia McBath’s son Jordan Davis was shot in 2012 in a dispute over loud music. McBath says the man accused of shooting him used Florida’s Stand Your Ground law as his defense, and Ohio’s law is similar to it.

Opponents have turned in 10-thousand signatures asking lawmakers to halt the bill, which passed the House in November with votes from Republicans and Democrats. Supporters say the bill is not like Florida’s law, and while it eliminates the duty to retreat, anyone claiming self-defense would still have to prove the case.

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