Ohio's new "stand your ground" law goes into effect Tuesday.

The controversial new law, signed by Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine in January, eliminates Ohioans' duty to retreat before using force.

The measure expands the so-called “stand your ground” right from an individual’s house and car to any place, “if that person is in a place in which the person lawfully has a right to be.”

The new law can be explained like this: In the past, if someone shot in self-defense, the burden was on the shooter to prove that's why they did it. With a "stand your ground" law, the burden shifts to the prosecutor to prove the shooting was not justified.

In addition to making prosecutors prove a claim of self-defense may not be justified, the measure would also eliminate the call for gun owners with concealed carry permits to try to retreat from a threat before opening fire.

The Republican governor signed the bill despite his long expressed concerns that GOP lawmakers were ignoring his own legislation proposed following the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton.

ABOVE VIDEO: Son of man killed in Dayton mass shooting upset over new 'stand your ground' law

DeWine has said he wants any gun legislation to include his proposals for toughening background checks and boosting penalties for felons committing new crimes with guns. The governor has pushed these measures since the 2019 mass shooting in Dayton that killed nine and wounded more than two dozen.

DeWine said he's not giving up, and will continue to ask the new GOP-controlled General Assembly to approve his proposals.

Republican lawmakers and gun rights groups praised DeWine for signing the “stand your ground” bill. Proponents of the law say this legislation simply aligns Ohio with most other states in the country.

"Ohio is kind of backwards where self-defense you are guilty and have to prove yourself innocent. And we think that the burden should be on the prosecutors, not on the innocent person that is trying to keep their family safe," said Joe Eaton, with Buckeye Firearms Association.

But Democrats, big city mayors and Black lawmakers have strongly criticized the governor for the move.

Such laws “upend centuries of traditional self-defense doctrine and threaten public safety by encouraging armed vigilantism,” Democratic Akron Mayor Dan Horrigan said.

GEORGETOWN, Ky. (LEX 18) — A Georgetown couple victimized by a March "swatting" incident told us they both felt "assaulted" the night Scott County sheriff's deputies stormed their home in what turned out to be a false report of a homicide. LEX 18 obtained the dramatic security video of when the victims were ordered out of the home with their hands in the air.

MORE: Law enforcement on growing push to make "swatting" a felony in Kentucky

The husband and wife spoke out because they believe "swatting" should be a felony offense due to the anxiety, fear, and stress it caused them. Currently, there is no law on "swatting" in Kentucky. Scott County Sheriff Tony Hampton says right now the crime would be considered as falsely reporting an incident, which is a misdemeanor.

The victims' story caught the attention of State Representative Phillip Pratt of the 62nd district.

"You could just hear it in their voices and as they walked out, they were scared to death," said Pratt who viewed the security video and listened to the couples' interview in our story.

"I'll be honest after watching that video I already contacted my staff, and we are reaching out to the judiciary committee. I want to draft a bill that makes 'swatting' a felony here in Kentucky because it could have turned out much worse," said Pratt Thursday.

Pratt plans to introduce a bill the first chance he gets, at the 2022 session of the General Assembly. "I see this being a very good bipartisan bill that I can't imagine anyone not voting for," said Pratt.

"This shook those people to the core and it's something we need to take very seriously, and we need to put some bite into the law to stop people from doing this."

This story was originally published by LEX 18.