Mar 8, 2021
ATLANTA â House lawmakers unanimously passed a measure Monday that would do away with Georgiaâs Civil War-era citizenâs arrest law.
The âvigilante styleâ killing of Ahmaud Arbery, an unarmed Black man, in Brunswick last year sparked statewide calls for the law to be repealed after a prosecutor used it as justification for not seeking criminal charges.
In the beginning of the legislative session, Gov. Brian Kemp pledged to lead an effort to do away with what he called earlier this session antiquated law that is ripe for abuse and enables sinister, evil motives.â
The measure would repeal the old law completely but still offers a number of protections for Georgians defending themselves or their property.