Metro lawmaker urging gun safety legislation after cousin killed in Forest Park shooting spree

ATLANTA — A Georgia lawmaker wants the legislature to talk about gun safety after her cousin was the man shot and killed during the shooting spree in Forest Park on Friday.

Sandra Scott, D-Rex, took to the well Monday morning and said her cousin, Brandon Harris, was the one who was shot and killed at a tax prep office last week.

She told Channel 2′s Richard Elliot that she has tried for years to get gun safety legislation passed, but now it’s personal.

“The person who was killed was my cousin,” Scott said.

Scott asked for thoughts and prayers for the family of Harris. Police say the suspect shot two other people as well in a shooting spree before they caught him in Cobb County hours later.

“He was the one who took the bullet, and he was the only one killed.

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For years, Scott has introduced legislation promoting gun safety. And while in the well Monday, she once again asked lawmakers to consider it, including a bill requiring gun owners to safely store their firearms.

But none of her bills have ever made it out of committee.

“It’s time for us to come together and have a seat at the table and talk about all this violence and killing that’s going on,” Scott said.

House Republican majority leader Chuck Efstration said their public safety focus is more on better compensation for law enforcement officers than gun safety legislation.

“That’s not covering the priorities that I just went into. That’s not what we’re discussing right now,” Efstration told Elliot. “The priority of our caucus is to make sure that all Georgians feel safe.”

Scott wishes they would.

“I hope that they will because it’s becoming more and more prevalent. So I hope that they will do something and pass some common sense legislation,” Scott said.

Other gun legislation bills have failed to pass the General Assembly in the past few years.

RELATED NEWS:

Father of 4, ice cream truck owner identified as victim killed in Forest Park shooting On Friday morning, Forest Park police said Harris was inside working at the ATC Income Tax on West Street when 33-year old Victor Baymon showed up with a gun.

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