Ga Senator Wants New Gun Laws For People Going Through Divorce
Atlanta, GA - A Georgia State Senator wants to make it harder for certain people going through a divorce to buy a gun. State Senator Doc Rhett, Democrat from Marietta, said SB250 would prevent a person who is going through a divorce and has a violent history or a restraining order, from buying a gun without a judge's permission. SB250 would not pertain to a spouse who wants a gun for protection. "If they want to purchase a gun to protect themselves, that's fine because they're not the aggressor," said Sen. Rhett.
Senator Rhett said “often when people are going through a divorce, emotions run high, and if there's already a history of violence, it could lead to disaster.” "We're trying to make sure when people are in an irrational state of mind they're not going to do anything irrational that they're going to regret as time goes on.”
State Senator John Albers, Republican from Roswell, called SB250 unreasonable and unnecessary. "I think we have constitutional rights and they should be upheld, and I think when someone is going through a divorce the last thing we need to do is to in some way demonize them," said Senator Albers.
Senator Rhett isn't discouraged. He said he felt compelled to propose the legislation after Fulton County Assistant District Attorney April Ross was shot by her estranged husband. He said he has also worked with domestic abuse victims and has seen relationships end in violence. "We want to make sure people don't make rash decisions and end up in situations like what happened with Ms. Ross," said Senator Rhett.