The parents of Jillian Ludwig exclusively tell News 12 New Jersey they are advocating for a bill in the Tennessee Legislature that would keep guns out of the hands of criminals who are deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial.
Ludwig, an 18-year-old freshman at Belmont University in Nashville, Tennessee was struck by a stray bullet on Nov. 7 while out on a walk near campus. She died the next day.
The suspect, Shaquille Taylor, 29, faces charges of aggravated assault and evidence tampering. Nashville police say Taylor admitted during an interview with detectives at police headquarters that he fired the shots. He claimed to have given the gun involved to another person.
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Taylor had previously been by released by police after being deemed mentally incompetent to stand trial for a previous shooting.
Jillian’s Law would close what her parents, Jessica and Matt, and others say is a loophole by expanding the definition of “adjudication as a mental defective.” As part of the law, those deemed mentally incompetent would be prohibited from purchasing or possessing a firearm.