Local Official Calls For Rideshsre Drivers to be Armed
Jose Nino
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Peachtree Corners City Councilman Joe Sawyer wants rideshare drivers to be able to carry firearms as they work. Sawyer’s call for this reform came after his 31-year-old daughter, Lauren Allen, was shot and killed while driving for Lyft back in November.
“I haven’t slept. I haven’t slept since November 21,” stated Sawyer. “We went by the cemetery yesterday and me and my wife had a hard time.”
According to Dekalb County Police’s account of the incident, Allen was dropping off a passenger on Cedar Croft Court when the passenger got into an argument with her boyfriend, and he shot his gun and struck Allen.
“They’re out there driving. They don’t have no protection at all, so we need to do something,” declared Sawyer.
This incident motivated Sawyer to draft a proposal that allows rideshare drivers to carry a weapon.
“They got to protect themselves. If my daughter had a gun that night, she could have protected herself,” declared Sawyer.
Lyft and Uber — the two largest rideshare companies — do not allow their drivers to carry weapons while working.
Larry Sprull of WSB-TV was able to reach out to Attorney Jessica Cino with Krevolin Horst Law Firm to discuss a hypothetical situation of a state law being passed to allow for rideshare drivers to be armed. She said if such a state law were on the books, it could potentially supersede the company’s policies.
“Now, if we have a state law that says that Uber and Lyft drivers are, in fact, allowed to carry a concealed weapon, the state law will trump the company policy,” declared Cino.
Cino claims that if this legislation is passed by the Georgia state government, both Uber and Lyft will resist in some shape or form. They could potentially not hire drivers who won’t abide by their policies.
While woke companies like Uber and Lyft provide valuable services, they must be reminded of how their policies actually make people less safe. The fact is many of the urban centers where these companies are most active are in dangerous areas. The police are minutes away when precious seconds count, so it stands to reason that any lawful individual should be allowed to carry a firearm for self-defense.
Many of these aloof companies don’t grasp that, which is why prudential action should serve as a reminder to them that these kinds policies cannot fly in red states.
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