Proponents of House Bill 108 urged the Judiciary Committee to advance legislation that would allow defendants who assert a self‑defense claim to request a pretrial hearing before a judge. Supporters said the procedure would protect defendants from the ‘‘catch‑22’’ of making pretrial statements that prosecutors later use at trial while preserving accountability.

Why it matters: Proponents argued the change protects people who lawfully used force in self defense from being revictimized by criminal prosecution when facts support a defensive use of force. The proposal would create a pretrial mechanism that, if successful, generates a rebuttable presumption in favor of a self‑defense defense at trial; the prosecution would still have the burden to disprove self defense beyond a reasonable doubt.

What happened in committee

- Rob Sexton of the Buckeye Firearms Association testified in favor, saying the bill “provides a practical solution that lowers the chance that the state would revictimize a person who was forced to act in their own self defense.”

- Representative Stewart moved to amend House Bill 108 with Amendment No. 529. The motion was made on the floor of the committee, the chair indicated the amendment had been submitted by the bill sponsor, there was no objection and the amendment was adopted and incorporated into the bill text.

Committee outcome

The committee agreed to adopt amendment 529 to HB108; the amendment was submitted by the bill sponsor and was adopted without objection. The committee concluded the second hearing after the amendment was added.