March 11, 2014 Governor John Kasich Riffe Center, 30th Floor 70 South High Street Columbus, OH 43215

Senator Tom Patton Majority Leader 1 Capitol Square, 1st Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Representative William Batchelder Speaker of the House 77 S. High Street, 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215 RE: Ohio Mayors Oppose House Bill 203 Dear Governor Kasich, Lt. Governor Taylor, and legislative leaders: As Ohio members of the national, bipartisan Mayors Against Illegal Guns coalition, we join Ohio law enforcement in opposing House Bill 203. HB203 would endanger public safety by: (1) making Ohio the first new Stand Your Ground state since the dangerous effects of these laws received national attention; and (2) requiring Ohio law enforcement to honor concealed carry permits granted by states whose permit holders could not meet the standards required by our own laws. HB 203 would make Ohio the first new Stand Your Ground state since 2011, flying in the face of new research that shows just how dangerous these laws areand putting our children, families and communities at risk. Researchers at Texas A&M University found that these laws are associated with a clear increase in homicidesas many as 700 additional homicides nationally each year. A 2013 study by our own coalition found that the justifiable homicide rate increased by an average of 53 percent in states that passed these laws, while the justifiable homicide rate decreased by 5 percent in states without these laws. The impact of these laws on communities of color is even more pronounced: The justifiable homicide rate among people shot to death in the black population more than doubled between 2005 and 2011 in states with Stand Your Ground laws, while the rate fell in the rest of the country. And the Urban Institute found that when white shooters kill black victims, the resulting homicides are 11 times more likely to be deemed justifiable than when the shooter is black and the victim is white. Stand Your Ground laws often embolden people to shoot even if there is a safe and clear way to avoid the conflict. The Tampa Bay Times examined more than 200 Stand Your Ground Lt. Governor Mary Taylor Riffe Center, 30th Floor 70 South High Street Columbus, OH 43215 Senator Joe Schiavoni Minority Leader 1 Capitol Square, 3rd Floor Columbus, OH 43215 Representative Tracy Maxwell Heard Minority Leader 77 S. High Street, 14th Floor Columbus, OH 43215

cases across Florida and found that in nearly two-thirds of these cases, the shooter passed up a clear, safe opportunity to walk away from the confrontation. This bill would also force Ohio law enforcement to allow people to carry concealed firearms in Ohio even if they are prohibited by law from getting an Ohio permit. Our current system grants reciprocity to out-of-state permits only if the issuing state has permitting standards similar to ours. But HB 203 would allow people with out-of-state permits to carry concealed handguns in public in Ohio as long as the issuing state grants reciprocity to Ohio, regardless of how weak that states permitting standards are. This means that people prohibited under our current systemincluding violent criminal offenders, young people under the age of 21, and holders with no firearms safety trainingcould go armed on our streets, undermining our own state licensing standards and encouraging people to obtain out-of-state permits from states with lax permitting laws. It is for these reasons that we join Ohio law enforcementincluding the Fraternal Order of Police of Ohio, the Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police, and the Ohio Prosecuting Attorneys Associationthe Ohio Legislative Black Caucus, and citizens across the state in opposing HB 203. This bill is a matter of urgent public concern and would take our state in the wrong direction. We urge you to reject it. Sincerely,

Signed by Ohio Members of Mayors Against Illegal Guns

Mayor Steve Adams, Malvern, Ohio Mayor Samuel Alai, Broadview Heights, Ohio Mayor William Armentrout, Creston, Ohio Mayor Richard Bain, Pepper Pike, Ohio Mayor Bernard Baronowski, Andover, Ohio Mayor David Berger, Lima, Ohio Mayor Fletcher Berger, Bedford Heights, Ohio Mayor Lou Bertrand, Hiram, Ohio Mayor Rich Blankenship, Ironton, Ohio Mayor Richard Bonde, Willowick, Ohio Mayor Matthew Brett, South Russell, Ohio Mayor Holly Brinda, Elyria, Ohio Mayor William Burkhardt, St. Bernard, Ohio

Mayor Patricia Burnside, Englewood, Ohio Mayor Richard Cain, Mineral City, Ohio Mayor Bill Cervenick, Euclid, Ohio Mayor Joseph Cicero, Lyndhurst, Ohio Mayor Michael Coleman, Columbus, Ohio Mayor Warren Copeland, Springfield, Ohio Mayor William Currin, Hudson, Ohio Mayor Tim DeGeeter, Parma, Ohio Mayor Ray DeGraw, Grandview Heights, Ohio Mayor Tammy Drobina, Carroll, Ohio Mayor Kirk Emmert, Gambier, Ohio Mayor Patricia Fallot, Louisville, Ohio Mayor Susan Farley, Woodlawn, Ohio Mayor Jerry Fiala, Kent, Ohio Mayor William Flaute, Riverside, Ohio Mayor Doug Franklin, Warren, Ohio Mayor James Friel, Newcomerstown, Ohio Mayor William Healy, Canton, Ohio Mayor Glenn Holmes, McDonald, Ohio Mayor Susan Infield, University Heights, Ohio Mayor Frank Jackson, Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Charles Johnson, Forest Park, Ohio Mayor Richard Justice, Lakemore, Ohio Mayor Ben Kessler, Bexley, Ohio Mayor Ed Klco, North Perry, Ohio

Mayor Donald Kuchta, Macedonia, Ohio Mayor Jeffrey Lansky, Maple Heights, Ohio Mayor Earl Leiken, Shaker Heights, Ohio Mayor Terry Lindeman, Doylestown, Ohio Mayor Kim Maggard, Whitehall, Ohio Mayor David Malone, Portsmouth, Ohio Mayor William Margalis, Wickliffe, Ohio Mayor Clifford Mason, Hebron, Ohio Mayor Joe Matthews, Marietta, Ohio Mayor Terrance McConnell, North Kingsville, Ohio Mayor Gary Middlemus, Frazeysburg, Ohio Mayor Patrick Monahan, Shawnee Hills, Ohio Mayor Domenick Mucci, Steubenville, Ohio Mayor Kathy Mulcahy, Orange Village, Ohio Mayor Mary Myers, Verona, Ohio Mayor Deborah Neale, Lakeline, Ohio Mayor Charles Neff, Mount Sterling, Ohio Mayor Dave Nelson, Geneva-on-the-Lake, Ohio Mayor William Nibert, Richwood, Ohio Mayor Gary Norton, East Cleveland, Ohio Mayor Susan Pelkowski, Holloway, Ohio Mayor Dan Pillow, Addyston, Ohio Mayor Donald Plusquellic, Akron, Ohio Mayor Mike Porter, Mount Gilead, Ohio Mayor Timothy Redden, Plymouth, Ohio

Mayor Susan Renda, Moreland Hills, Ohio Mayor Bruce Rinker, Mayfield Village, Ohio Mayor Chase Ritenauer, Lorain, Ohio Mayor Robert Schwab, McComb, Ohio Mayor David Seagraves, Brookville, Ohio Mayor Bradley Sellers, Warrensville Heights, Ohio Mayor John Smith, Silverton, Ohio Mayor Billy Spencer, Piketon, Ohio Mayor Diana Stockmaster, Centerburg, Ohio Mayor Deborah Sutherland, Bay Village, Ohio Mayor James Swoger, East Liverpool, Ohio Mayor Jeff Tilton, Zanesville, Ohio Mayor James Waller, Minerva, Ohio Mayor Clayton Weller, Sugarcreek, Ohio Mayor Georgine Welo, South Euclid, Ohio Mayor Lance Westcamp, Groveport, Ohio Mayor Nan Whaley, Dayton, Ohio Mayor Jeffrey Wherley, Nellie, Ohio Mayor Mark Williams, Genoa, Ohio Mayor Alan Zaffiro, Golf Manor, Ohio