Atlanta pol wants gun locks, policy fix for background-check system

Photo credit:

Despite that the majority party’s stance and the odds of passage in a GOP-controlled General Assembly, state Sen. Elena Parent, D-Atlanta, is pushing for gun-control bills she calls “common sense solutions to protect our children and others from unintended violence.”

The first, Senate Bill 303, would require retailers to provide a gun lock with each firearm purchase. Parent says the devices would “protect children from deadly and tragic accidents” and “giving parents the tools to keep guns inaccessible to unsupervised children.” Jerry Henry, executive director of Georgia Carry, one of the state’s most vocal advocates for gun owners, says the group stands against the bill. He says most new firearms come with safety locks that are never used anyway, and add to the cost for both customer and retailer.

“Even the pamphlets that come with the firearm will tell you, ‘Locking your firearm might result in your death death due to slow accessibility,’” Henry says. “What good is a firearm than you cannot use?  People who want to use gun safety locks can purchase them for themselves and use them as they wish.”Parent’s second measure, Senate Bill 304, would address a policy gap that allows people who have been involuntarily hospitalized in the past to be able to purchase firearms. Currently, if a person has been involuntarily committed for mental illness, they can still buy a gun in Georgia. That’s because, according to state law, after five years, the person’s record will be purged by the Georgia Crime Information Center and not show up in background checks. Approximately 500 Georgians’ records were removed from the Georgia Crime Information Center in 2015. “We can prevent those suffering from a mental illness and found to be a danger to themselves or others from buying guns,” Parent says. “This bill ensures that people found by a judge to be a danger to themselves and others from purchasing guns. The debate can continue, but Georgia should act. That’s just common sense.” Henry says Georgia Carry has no problem eliminating the automatic erasures portion of the law. He believes, however, that there should be “due process for restoring a persons’ rights 5 years after the involuntary hospitalization,” and GCO has offered suggested changes to the bill. He says if courts find a person to no longer suffer from the mental health condition that led to their involuntary hospitalization, these persons should be considered to have their rights restored. Currently, those requests are considered by the State Board of Pardons and Paroles. 

Parent is not the only Democratic lawmaker to introduce gun-control measures this legislative session. State Rep. Keisha Waites, D-Atlanta, wants gun owners to be required to undergo safety training. And state Rep. Mary-Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, introduced a controversial proposal banning assault weapons.