Under criticism from the National Rifle Association, officials in the Atlanta suburb of Roswell are trying avoid taking credit for a proposal to toughen the city’s gun ordinance, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. The change would curb a resident’s right to fire a weapon to protect property. Roswell officials say the amendment would bring the city’s law in line with the state’s, which allows the use of force only to protect a person.
The NRA issued a national alert about the “egregious amendment,” and the organization’s many supporters have flooded City Hall with calls and e-mails. The mayor says the change was the city attorney’s idea; the city attorney said it was the police chief’s; the chief says it was city attorney’s and the City Council’s. Frank Rotondo of the Georgia Association of Chiefs of Police says, “What they’re attempting to clarify is that if someone is stealing your lawn mower, you should not take out your weapon and shoot them.” The NRA is concerned the ordinance is a step onto a slippery slope that could lead to residents’ giving up the right of self-defense.
Link: http://www.ajc.com/news/content/metro/northfulton/0405/28roswell.html