The state Senate in Ohio has overridden a veto from Gov. John Kasich on a gun proposal that pushes the burden of proof to prosecutors in shootings involving self-defense.

The Republican governor on Dec. 20 vetoed House Bill 228. The state Senate then convened after Christmas session and the GOP-majority chamber overrode Kasich's veto.

H.B. 228 makes several changes to Ohio's law regarding firearms. One of the most notable involves adjudication of self-defense shooting cases. The burden is now pushed from defendants to prosecutors to show the accused did not use their weapons "in self-defense, defense of another, or defense of that person's residence."

[Interested in magazine content? Subscribe to the Washington Examiner's print edition here ]

"This has never been the law in Ohio," Kasich wrote in his veto statement. "The defendant has always had the burden of proving self-defense."

Kasich was adamant that other provisions in H.B. 228 violated Ohio's "home rule" and the sovereignty of local government entities when it comes to firearm regulations. Kasich was critical that the "lame duck" session pushed the bill through without a proper debate. Kasich said he preferred enactment of "red flag" laws that would allow preventative action to be taken against individuals who exude signs of wanting to cause harm to others.

The primary bill sponsor, Republican state Rep. Terry Johnson did not immediately respond to comment requests. Nor did Kasich

Kasich has wielded the gubernatorial veto pen more successfully on a prior measure that cleared both chambers of the Ohio legislature, a bill that would have banned abortions after the detection of a heartbeat. Kasich, however, recently approved a bill banning abortions in the second trimester of a pregnancy.