By Linda Walker

Sen. Steve Buehrer's anxiously awaited Castle Doctrine bill (SB184), introduced in June, received it's second hearing on Wednesday, December 5. This hearing was for proponent testimony only.

Castle Doctrine, sometimes referred to as Stand Your Ground legislation, will protect innocent crime victims by maintaining the presumption of their innocence should they be faced with the use of deadly force. It will also protect the crime victim from further civil liability should the criminal or his/her surviving family want to file a law suit against the victim at a future date.

Castle Doctrine is a common sense self-defense Bill that has been passed in over 20 states in the past 2 years with overwhelming bipartisan support from the various states Legislatures.

This week's hearing heard four individuals verbal testimony, and several written copies of testimony were submitted to the Senate Criminal Justice Committee for their review.

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Ohio hunters took 103,195 white-tailed deer during the state’s popular, weeklong deer-gun season, which ran November 26 to December 2, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. In 2006, hunters killed a preliminary total of 111,672 deer during the same time period. Inclement weather on the opening and closing days of the season hampered hunters’ efforts.

Counties reporting the highest numbers of deer brought to Ohio check stations last week included Tuscarawas- 4,266, Guernsey- 3,765, Harrison- 3,389, Athens- 3,268, Licking- 3,265, Coshocton- 3,227, Washington- 3,067, Holmes- 3,026, Noble- 2,498, Jefferson- 2,493.

A total of 167,965 deer have been harvested so far this season when combining the adult and youth gun seasons, early muzzleloader season and the first six weeks of the archery season. That compares to a total of 166,534 killed last year during the same time period. Hunters took a total of 237,316 deer during all of last year’s hunting seasons.

...Hunters still have a weekend of deer-gun hunting, December 15-16, and nine weeks of archery hunting in Ohio. Archery season remains open until February 3. The statewide muzzleloader deer-hunting season will be held December 27-30.

Click here for the entire press release.