A measure which would have enabled Georgia residents to sue local governments for adopting restrictive gun control regulations did not get final approval last Friday in the state Senate, which reportedly adjourn ed early without a vote.
Democrats argued against Senate Bill 204, contending it would create problems for local municipalities that pass restrictive gun controls.
According to WANF News, Atlanta Democrat Rep. Shea Roberts criticized the measure as “a slap in the face” to families of the victims of last year’s Apalachee High School shooting that left four dead and several others injured.
The Associated Press reported the bill might come up again next year in the Senate, but for now, the measure is effectively dead.
The bill was actually showing some prospect of becoming law earlier in the day Friday, passing the House on a 99-74 vote, according to WABE News. But it did not get approved in the Senate, after that chamber went home.
Interestingly, coverage of the legislation’s derailment intimated it would have been troublesome for local governments enacting “gun safety” legislation. Of course, that seemed to be the point.
WANF News reported the original bill was introduced by state Sen. Colton Moore, who apparently changed his position when the maximum amount of compensation someone might get in a successful lawsuit against a local government was cut in half.
WABE News quoted Republican House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, observing how the bill was “an affirmation of our strong and unwavering support of the Second Amendment” and insured that Georgia residents “are protected from government overreach.”
Although the measure did not pass out of the Senate, the fact that Georgia lawmakers were giving SB 204 serious enough consideration to pass it in the House might serve as a warning to local municipalities to back away from restrictive gun control measures.
