State Representative Sandra Scott is pushing for new gun safety measures following a deadly shooting spree in Forest Park that took the life of her cousin. Rep. Scott, a Democrat from Rex, passionately spoke on the House floor this Monday, urging her colleagues to take action after the tragic incident that occurred last Friday, leaving her cousin, Brandon Harris, dead at a tax prep office. In an emotional plea reported by FOX 5 Atlanta, Scott emphasized the urgency of the matter, stating, "Not one of us know the day or hour. It happened to our family on Friday, it could happen to yours tomorrow."
The Forest Park tragedy unfolded when 33-year-old Victor Demetrious Baymon allegedly followed his ex-girlfriend to the office where Harris was helping her with taxes and opened fire, leading to Harris's death. As detailed by FOX 5 Atlanta, Scott recounted the devastating impact on Harris's family, "His 11-year old's birthday was Friday, something that young man is going to have to live with the rest of his life." She also acknowledged that while Georgia has established gun laws, they fall short in curbing the epidemic of violence, declaring, "It's time for Georgia to step up to the plate and do something about this gun violence."
Efforts to pass gun safety legislation have repeatedly hit a wall in Georgia's General Assembly, with none of Scott’s prior proposals making it out of committee. She is steadfast, however, in her commitment to introducing new legislation in the coming weeks. In a conversation with Channel 2's Richard Elliot, Scott shared that her crusade for gun safety has now become a personal mission, stating that the person killed was her cousin. This news and her calls for action were keenly felt during the legislative session, as reported by WSBTV.
Despite the plea from Rep. Scott and other Democrats, House Republican majority leader Chuck Efstration indicated that their current public safety priorities do not align with gun safety legislation. Efstration, as told to Elliot, stressed that the focus is on better compensation for law enforcement rather than gun safety reform, saying, "That’s not covering the priorities that I just went into. That’s not what we’re discussing right now." Nonetheless, Scott remains hopeful that her colleagues will consider the human cost of inaction, expressing her desire for the passage of common sense gun legislation, adding, "I hope that they will because it’s becoming more and more prevalent," in her interview with Channel 2.
