Judge strikes down Savannah’s controversial ‘lock up your gun’ law
SAVANNAH ― A Recorder’s Court judge invalidated Savannah’s controversial firearms storage ordinance Wednesday, marking the first successful legal challenge to the “lock up your gun” law championed by Mayor Van Johnson.
Savannah City Council outlawed leaving handguns, rifles or shotguns in unsecured and unattended vehicles in April 2024 by unanimous vote. The ordinance was meant to curb firearm thefts, which peaked in 2023 when 203 guns were reported stolen from unlocked cars. So far in 2025, 106 firearms have been taken from unsecured vehicles, according to Savannah Police data.
The law drew heavy criticism from gun rights activists and a rebuke from Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr. In a letter sent to Savannah’s mayor in May 2024, Carr expressed doubts about the ordinance’s legality, opining that it violated a state statute that prohibits local governments from regulating possession, ownership or transfer of firearms or other weapons.
Carr, a Republican in office since 2016, has since launched a governor’s bid in the 2026 election.
A 2024 lawsuit challenging Savannah’s ordinance was dismissed in November 2024 because the plaintiff didn’t live in Savannah and hadn’t been cited for violating the law.
Wednesday’s ruling by Judge Joe Huffman of the Recorder’s Court of Chatham County involved a defendant ticketed under the ordinance. Huffman dismissed the case against 24-year-old Clayton Papp, writing that the ordinance violated not only state law but the U.S. Constitution. Huffman specifically cited the Second Amendment, which guarantees the right to bear arms, and the 14th Amendment, which addresses equal protection and due process.
Papp was ticketed Aug. 15, 2024, and faced a $1,000 fine after his truck was among several burglarized outside an apartment building in Savannah’s Highlands neighborhood.
The thieves took a handgun registered to his father, Joe, a veteran police officer in Garden City, a Savanah suburb. Joe Papp said his son told him he had locked his truck before going into his residence and returned to find a door ajar and the weapon gone.
The Recorder’s Court ruling can be appealed to Chatham County Superior Court. A city spokesperson declined to comment on whether the municipal government would push for an appeal, citing a policy that prohibits statements on current or pending litigation.
But Johnson did address the ordinance during his weekly media briefing Wednesday. The session started at the same time as the Recorder’s Court hearing, and Johnson was not aware of the ruling until told by a reporter near the briefing’s conclusion.
Johnson, himself a one-time law enforcement officer, noted the ordinance was drafted to educate residents and visitors about the responsibilities they have as gun owners and was never meant to be punitive. The campaign is working, he said, based on the drop in reported thefts.
“People are saying, let me lock it in the car, let me take my gun with me, let me put it in the trunk or lock it in the glovebox,” Johnson said. “I would like it if we had zero written citations.”
Johnson drew renewed criticism from the attorney general after Wednesday’s ruling. Carr has accused Johnson, a Democrat, of being soft on crime. The attorney general penned an opinion essay published in June in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution on the theme “Let’s make crime illegal again,” with frequent references to Savannah.
In an emailed statement Wednesday afternoon, Carr said Huffman’s ruling “is a major victory for law-abiding gun owners, who shouldn’t be punished for the actions of criminals and thieves. If the City is really interested in addressing crime, their leaders should commit to working with us to combat the violent gang activity that’s putting children and families at risk.”
A lawyer for Clayton Papp declined to comment Wednesday.
About the Author
Adam Van Brimmer is a journalist who covers politics and Coastal Georgia news for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
