WARNER ROBINS, Ga. — Gun owners in Georgia could be rewarded for investing in safety precautions.
If it passes, Georgia House of Representatives Bill 971 would give gun owners hundreds of dollars in tax credit for eligible purchases like a safety course with firearms instructor, Keisha Bibbs.
"What better way to get more money back from the government than take a class that’s going to help you protect yourself," Bibbs said.
House Bill 971 passed with 162 votes of bipartisan support. The bill would allow gun owners to apply up to $300 in tax credit for certain purchases.
These purchases include firearm storage and firearm safety classes. Bibbs is a certified firearms instructor with her business, Responsibly Armed Self Defense.
She said training is vital when you have a firearm because you need to be prepared when you use it.
"We have a lot of people in our community that have a firearm and it just sits under their bed and we want to make sure those individuals know how to use it in a time of need," Bibb said.
Ezra Hargrove works at Centerville Gun and Pawn Shop and carries his own firearms. He said he likes the message behind this bill.
"Honestly, I think it’s a push in the right direction. I’m not a big fan of the whole you should do this or you’d be punished kind of ideal. I’m big on freedom, so the face that they’re incentivizing people to practice safety instead of forcing them to do so is always a great thing," Hargrove said.
Hargrove said he like the idea of rewarding people for being responsible. He said a firearm could be useless in a situation if you don’t know what you’re doing.
"A tool is only as a good as the person that uses it, so if you don’t know how to use your firearm, it’s a paper weight in your hands pretty much," Hargrove explained.
Bibbs said she always recommends training, but with the reward this bill could bring, she said people should take the next step after buying a firearm.
"It’s not enough to just go out and purchase one, you have to train. You have to know the safety rules which is the biggest of them all and you have to know when, why, and where you can use your firearm," Bibbs said.
The bill will now move to the senate for consideration.