Committee recommends no taxes on tips, firearms sales tax holiday ► PAGE 13 Fe b r u a r y 1 3 , 2 0 2 5 | A p p e n M e d i a . c o m | A n A p p e n M e d i a G r o u p P u b l i c a t i o n | 5 0 ¢ | Vo l u m e 2 9 , N o . 7
Sherrif Ron Freeman attends Laken Riley Act signing event
ZOE SEILER/APPEN MEDIA
Front row, from left, Georgia Sens. Elena Parent (D - Senate District 44), Harold Jones (D - Senate District 22) and Emanuel Jones (D - Senate District 10) announced plans to address gun safety during a press conference on Jan. 28, 2025, at the State Capitol.
Lawmakers announce plans for school and gun safety By ZOE SEILER zoe@appenmedia.com ATLANTA — Georgia lawmakers started the session with a strong intent to address gun safety, with Senate Democrats announcing their priorities. At least six bills have been filed in the House. Sens. Elena Parent (D – Senate District 42), Emanuel Jones (D – Senate District 10), Harold Jones (D – Senate District 22), and others, announced during a press conference on Jan. 28, that they plan to file various bills to address gun safety including creating
a statewide database and installing a gun czar to oversee safety. Parent also filed a bill that would make it a misdemeanor offense if a gun was not properly stored, and a child accessed it and injured someone. “By not saying ‘That is not something that you are legally allowed to do under our state’s code,’ by that not being there, that sends a message,” she said. “That sends a message, like, it’s just fine to leave your gun lying around kids. So that, to me, is one of the reasons that it is important to have it stated in Georgia code that it is not legal to leave a gun around minors.” Emanuel Jones led a task force last
year that was tasked with reducing gun deaths among children in the state, according to the Georgia Recorder. “Georgia has the eighth-highest rate of unintentional shootings by children in the United States, and I hope that kind of sinks in with members that are present here today,” Emmanuel Jones said. “And it should also be stated that the highest incidence of pediatric deaths in Georgia is caused by unintentional gun shootings. To me, those numbers are just staggering and really unacceptable, and Georgia can do better.”
See PLANS, Page 13
FORSYTH COUNTY, Ga. — Forsyth Conty Sherrif Ron Freeman was one of the state’s representatives at the White House Jan. 29 when President Donald Trump signed the Laken Riley Act. “It is truly an honor to be invited by President Trump for the signing of the Laken Riley Act,” Freeman said. “It is a privilege to represent the citizens of Forsyth County and the state of Georgia on the national stage.” The Laken Riley Act is named after a University of Georgia nursing student who was murdered by Jose Ibarra, a 26-year-old Venezuelan man illegally residing in Athens. An Athens-Clarke County judge found Ibarra guilty and sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Now signed into law, the bill requires the detention of unauthorized immigrants accused of theft or violent crimes. As a response last year, the state legislature passed the Georgia Criminal Alien Track and Report Act of 2024, requiring local police to assist with enforcement of immigration laws. According to law enforcement records, Ibarra entered was apprehended by Border Patrol near El Paso in 2022 and arrested for crimes in New York City and Athens before he murdered Riley. Opponents of the Laken Riley Act say it violates due process and is unconstitutional, while proponents say the bill enhances public safety and ensures enforcement. To read the Laken Riley Act, visit www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/ house-bill/7511/text.
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