A Georgian Responds To Legislator’s Gun Control Proposal

The shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, Georgia has faded from the headlines, but for people impacted by the attack, it’s hardly forgotten.

It’s also not forgotten by those who want to use it to advance their preferred narrative about guns and to push for new restrictions on the right to keep and bear arms.

However, this is Georgia. It’s a pro-gun state that hasn’t really shown a lot of interest in gun control. That’s not stopping one lawmaker.

A Georgia state Senate Democrat wants to make it a crime for people to give children access to guns and require a 10-day waiting period for assault rifle purchases unless someone is licensed to carry weapons, two proposals highly unlikely to gain Republican support.

But some of the policies Sen. Emanuel Jones of Decatur proposed last Wednesday, including tax credits for safe gun storage devices, could advance when the state legislature reconvenes in January. Jones hopes that by straying away from other stricter proposals favored by Democrats and focusing on measures that have already gained traction, he’ll be able to turn most of his recommendations into policies.

“My message today is we all need to join forces and we all need to stop working on the fringes and move something forward,” Jones said.

Cam touched on some of this over the weekend, for the record, but as a Georgian, I feel I need to respond as well.

First, note how everyone needs to join forces, but only on the things he wants? I mean, I don’t recall his willingness to join forced on constitutional carry, for example, so why should anyone “join forces” for this?

Second, let’s remember that the killer’s father in Winder is facing murder charges of his own. That’s going to trump any penalties imposed by a law barring access to firearms by kids. Plus, Georgia is a rural state. Sure, we’ve got cities aplenty, but a lot of people don’t actually live in those cities nor do they live in the suburbs of those cities. That means sometimes, things happen when Mom and Dad aren’t around, and a kid who is well-adjusted and educated about firearms can and should be able to use a firearm in self-defense. This law would prevent that.

And let’s be real here, the 10-day waiting period is something Georgia Democrats just want. It has absolutely nothing to do with Winder. That’s most an excuse to push for something they wanted the whole time.

Of course, they also know that’s not going to happen. That doesn’t stop someone like Jones from suggesting it, but it’s a good thing no one is going to listen to him.

Having a tax credit for gun safes would be a good thing, and I hope that one passes, but the rest? The rest have no place in Georgia or anywhere else. Jones is just grandstanding. He’s making sure the money flows in from the anti-gun groups without him having to actually try and find something that might actually pass in the state.

We’ve got bigger issues in this state and we don’t need grandstanding by politicians who then expect the majority to sell out their constituents just to help them make a name for themselves.