ATLANTA — This week, a bill was proposed in the Georgia House that would increase the number of firearms on private land. If a gun owner is injured on property where they are not permitted to carry a gun, the measure would hold property owners legally responsible.
In general, private property owners are allowed to keep firearms off their land.
Although it’s customary at smaller public spaces like restaurants and bars, Lenox Square, a popular Buckhead mall, prominently displays signs prohibiting weapons.
The goal of state representative Martin Momtahan (R-Dallas) is to incentivize those companies to permit law-abiding gun owners to carry concealed weapons on their premises.
Momtahan stated, “All we want to make sure is, that store needs to understand they have absolute custodial care of that person” who wants to carry a legal handgun but isn’t allowed if they are in the store or anywhere else and there is a “no gun” sign.
This implies that the store is now held legally responsible for the security of the gun owner whose weapon has been removed from the premises.
“Any lawful weapons carrier who is prohibited from carrying… and who is injured… shall have a cause of action against the person, business, or other entity that owns or legally controls such property,” reads his bill, HB 1364.
According to Timothy Lytton of Georgia State University, organizations that prohibit firearms may be sued by gun owners whose weapons are prohibited.
In an interview, Lytton said, “Let’s say I own a bar.” “Under the new law, if I prohibit them from bringing their firearms in and they’re attacked by another patron in the bar, then I’m absolutely liable for their injuries that result from that attack because I didn’t allow them to bring their weapon.”
According to Lytton, the bill might outlaw weapons in private residences as well as athletic and musical events.
Momtahan declared that he was okay with it.
“We have a litigious society, where we settle these types of things in a court of law, rightfully where we should,” he stated.
The House judiciary committee was tasked with overseeing Momtahan’s bill on Friday.
Republicans who have successfully steered other gun laws through to passage are among its sponsors.