- A Georgia bill to strengthen penalties in so-called “swatting” cases has cleared the state House of Representatives with the support of an overwhelming majority.
- “Swatting,” is the act of making false reports of shootings, bomb threats, hostage situations, and other crises in hopes of triggering an armed police response at a victim’s residence.
- “Those folks will be behind bars that are doing the swatting,” state Rep. Matt Reeves said of the legislation.
Georgia would strengthen penalties against false reports of shootings and bomb threats at homes, known as swatting, under a bill passed Monday by the state House.
The measure would also define a drive-by shooting as a separate crime.
The House voted 162-2 for Senate Bill 421, sending it back to the Senate because the House amended it to add the drive-by shooting provisions.
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Georgia elected officials in December experienced a spate of swatting calls — prank calls to emergency services to prompt a response to a particular address, particularly a SWAT team. Among those targeted were multiple state senators, Lt. Gov. Burt Jones and U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene. Jones said his home in a small town south of Atlanta was swatted, only to have a bomb threat called in the next day.
It’s already a crime in Georgia to make such false reports, but first offenses right now are misdemeanors unless they are directed at critical infrastructure.
The bill would also make a first offense a felony if it were aimed at a dwelling or a place of worship. The measure also increases the felony penalty for second offenses, making the minimum prison sentence five years, instead of one year. It also adds stronger penalties for a third offense, requiring a sentence of 10 to 15 years.
The measure also requires that a someone convicted make up for any monetary losses by property owners or expenditures by a responding agency, including restitution…
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