Newspaper Page Text
LOCAL
THURSDAY, MAY 17-23, 2018 • Page 2
Commissioners
seek gun law fix
BY HORACE HOLLOMAN
horace@dekalbchamp.com
DeKalb County has
an official stance on gun
legislation after county
commissioners passed a
resolution to advocate for
“common sense” gun laws.
During a board of
commissioners meeting May
8, commissioners passed a
resolution 6-1 to endorse
common sense gun safety
legislation at the federal and
state level.
The resolution states it will
also encourage DeKalb County
retailers to limit the sale of
certain guns and accessories to
individuals younger than 21.
“It becomes a little
tiresome to say, ‘we cant
do anything because it’s
in the state’s jurisdiction,”’
said Commissioner Kathie
Gannon, one of the resolution’s
authors. “We felt we could
follow suit with some other
counties and ask local
businesses to voluntarily do
things. It’s about common-
sense gun legislation.”
At the crux of the issue,
Gannon said, is limiting access
to bump stocks and “assault
rifles” such as AR-15s.
Gannon said certain types
of guns and accessories don’t
have an everyday use.
“No one is trying to take
away guns or hunting and
almost everyone is in support
of thorough background
checks. We’re asking retailers
to not sell to anyone under
21,” Gannon said. “You don’t
need an assault rifle to hunt
with. Let’s put the sport back in
hunting.”
State law takes precedence
over local government laws,
Gannon said. In Georgia, the
legal age to buy a firearm is
18. However, private business
owners who are Federal
Firearms License holders
can use their discretion in
determining who they will
provide service to.
Commissioner Nancy
Jester, the lone dissenting vote,
said she could not support the
measure because parts of the
resolution did not align with
her beliefs.
“While I can’t support it, I
understand why you’re putting
it forward...I want to end gun
violence in our communities
and this may be one facet
that I’m not completely in
agreement with,” Jester said.
“While I don’t find anything
objectionable [with the
resolution], there’s some other
things I would probably add.”
The resolution also
expressed condolences to the
victims and families of the
Marjory Stoneman Douglas
High School shooting.
On Feb. 14, shooter
Nikolas Cruz entered Marjory
Stoneman Douglas High
School in Parkland, Fla, and
shot and killed 17 people,
many of whom were students.
A copy of the official
minutes will be sent to
the mayor of Parkland
and to the members of the
DeKalb delegation to the
Georgia Senate, House of
Representatives and the
Georgia Congressional
Delegation.
Governor vetoes bill that created
term limits for Stonecrest mayor
BY CARLA PARKER
carla@dekalbchamp.com
Stonecrest Mayor Jason
Lary said he is happy the
governor vetoed a bill that
would have placed term limits
for the mayor seat but permit
unlimited number of terms for
councilmembers to remain in
office.
Gov. Nathan Deal
announced May 8 that he
vetoed House Bill 600. Along
with the term-limit for the
mayor position, the bill also
removed the mayor’s power
to vote with the city council,
except in the case of a tie.
“These amendments to
a city charter that has been
in effect for less than two
years have not, apparently,
received the proper amount
of discussion during the
legislative session as legislators
from the delegation could not
reach a consensus,” Deal said.
“For this reason, I veto HB
600.”
Lary said HB 600 was a
mayor-killer bill.
“If you read how it was, it
directed everything against the
mayor,” Lary said. “Term limits
for the mayor, and it was very
specific as to how it supported
the councilpersons, giving
them unlimited terms. Then
taking the vote away from the
mayor.
“I would’ve been the only
Deal
mayor that I know about in
the state of Georgia without
a vote or a veto,” Lary added.
“It crippled the office of the
mayor.”
The bill was first introduced
in March 2017, before the
city held elections for the
mayor and city council seats.
The bill was co-authored
by representatives Doreen
Carter (District 92), Dar’shun
Kendrick (District 93), Vernon
Jones (District 91), Karen
Bennett (District 94) and Pam
Stephenson (District 90).
Lary said Deal made the
proper choice in vetoing the
bill because it had two major
defects.
“One, in the house
rule, [the bill] has to have
mandatory signatures of every
Lary
representative that touches
Stonecrest,” Lary said.
Rep. “Coach” Williams’
(District 87) signature was not
on the bill. Williams represents
a small section of Stonecrest
near the Covington Highway
and Panola Road intersection.
“That was the first defect of
the bill,” Lary said. “The second
defect in the bill was you have
to give the governing authority
notification. We were not a
governing authority when they
constructed this bill.
“It was a mayor-killer bill
and that wasn’t right,” Lary
added. “Things usually don’t
stand the test of times when
they have defects and are not
right. I’m happy”
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