Bi-partisan support for a gun bill is almost unheard of in Georgia, where Dems and Republicans rarely see eye to eye. SB 99 though, introduced by Democrat state Senator Elena Parent and co-sponsored by Republican Sen. Tyler Harper, (among others) is an exception.
Currently certain individuals are banned from gun ownership, including felons, illegal immigrants, and those who have been involuntarily committed to a mental institution. For that third category the gun ban lasts for five years, after which the individual is removed from the list and has their second amendment rights restored. SB 99 would get rid of the five year automatic removal from the National Instant Criminal Background Check System, (essentially the ‘no buy’ list), forcing anyone involuntarily committed to a mental health facility to prove in court that they are mentally well enough to own a gun.
And that’s where the bipartisanship comes in. Democrats support the bill because they don’t want mentally ill Georgians owning guns just because their name fell off a list after a five year period. As Parent told WABE last week, “People who commit mass shootings are very likely to be severely mentally ill.” Republicans like co-sponsor Harper are on board as well, pointing out that the bill actually lets recovered individuals restore their second amendment rights faster than before since they can petition a court for reinstatement after being only one year removed from a mental facility.
It remains to be seen whether the state’s powerful guns rights organizations decide to weigh in on the issue. With their hands full fighting a reluctant Governor over campus carry, it’s unlikely that they make much of a fuss over SB 99 where all parties involved appear content.
