A North Georgia Republican wants drivers of services such as Uber and Lyft to be able to carry guns while they work.
State Rep. Scot Turner, who also drives for those businesses, said the companies' policies that forbid drivers from carrying firearms while working turn ride-share drivers into targets.
“A person who is engaging in a ride-share (service) does not forfeit their Second Amendment right to protect themselves,” Turner said.
The bill is unlikely to gain traction this year.
The Holly Springs Republican said he's seen a number of reported carjackings in Atlanta and across the country. In September, for example, two people are accused of pulling an Uber driver from his car while at a red light in Buckhead and pistol-whipping him before stealing his car.
If passed, House Bill 74 would keep ride-share companies from prohibiting a driver who has a state-issued license to carry firearms in his or her vehicles while driving for the service. Turner said potential criminals know the drivers can't have weapons and seek them out.
“The bad guys are targeting ride-share drivers who are required to advertise they’re driving (for Lyft or Uber),” Turner said. “They’ve become soft targets.”
Kaleb McMichen, a spokesman for House Speaker David Ralston, declined to comment on the proposal. Troutman Sanders Strategies, a lobbying group where Ralston's son works, represents Lyft.
Representatives from Uber and Lyft did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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