Georgia children deserve to grow up without fear of gun violence.

Children in Georgia are dying in record numbers because of the reckless elimination of firearm regulations. In 2020 gun-related injuries and fatalities surpassed automobile accidents as the No. 1 cause of death among children between the ages of 1 and 17, accounting for 129 deaths in 2023.

This public health crisis is getting worse. Gun deaths in Georgia increased by 24% between 2015 and 2024, with gun suicides rising 20% and homicides 29%. In a recent statewide poll, Georgia parents cited gun violence as their No. 1 fear for their children.

One cannot underestimate the role that a small, extreme and uncompromising element of gun rights groups has had in eliminating firearm regulations and blocking the passage of meaningful gun safety legislation in Georgia.

The Facebook-driven scare tactics used by the gun lobby has compelled elected officials in Georgia to lift nearly all gun restrictions.

Governors Sonny Perdue and Nathan Deal signed laws permitting gun owners to carry concealed weapons in nearly all places. Gov. Brian Kemp doubled down in 2022 when state legislators delivered SB 319 and HB 218, laws that allow Georgians to carry deadly weapons in public without a license.

The radical bill that Kemp signed into law removes the need for fingerprints, background checks, and a $75 fee previously required before an individual could carry a concealed handgun in public. Kemp’s extremist views on guns were no surprise. How can we forget Kemp’s insensitive and tone-deaf 2018 campaign commercial where he points a double-barreled shotgun at his daughter’s suitor?

Georgia’s lack of a CAP law poses a problem

Jeff Ploussard is a substitute teacher in the Gwinnett County public schools. (Courtesy)

With gun rights groups threatening to inflict pain at the primary ballot box on “Republicans in Name Only” (RINOs), legislators and Gov. Kemp have done nothing in recent years to address the epidemic of gun violence.

The horrific murders at Apalachee High School on Sept. 4, 2024, allegedly perpetrated by a 14-year-old student with his father’s firearms, left the communities begging for mandatory child access prevention (CAP) laws.

To date, state lawmakers have taken no action. CAP laws allow prosecutors to bring charges against adults who intentionally or carelessly allow children to have unsupervised access to firearms.

Had a CAP law been on the books in Georgia before the tragedy in Apalachee, maybe it could have provided enough of a deterrent for the husband to listen to his wife’s plea to lock his guns away from their son on that dreadful day.

With gun rights groups threatening to inflict pain at the primary ballot box on “Republicans in Name Only” (RINOs), legislators and Gov. Kemp have done nothing in recent years to address the epidemic of gun violence.

The horrific murders at Apalachee High School on Sept. 4, 2024, allegedly perpetrated by a 14-year-old student with his father’s firearms, left the communities begging for mandatory child access prevention (CAP) laws.

To date, state lawmakers have taken no action. CAP laws allow prosecutors to bring charges against adults who intentionally or carelessly allow children to have unsupervised access to firearms.

Had a CAP law been on the books in Georgia before the tragedy in Apalachee, maybe it could have provided enough of a deterrent for the husband to listen to his wife’s plea to lock his guns away from their son on that dreadful day.

Despite the overwhelming evidence that CAP laws reduce unintentional firearm injuries and deaths, suicides and violent crime, the Georgia Legislature have failed to hold a single hearing on any CAP or safe storage bills.

Majority of gun owners support safe storage laws

At the behest of the gun lobby, the General Assembly is now trying to prevent cities and counties in Georgia from enacting their own CAP laws.

To address a rise in gun thefts from vehicles and related homicides, the City of Savannah passed an ordinance in 2024 requiring gun owners to lock firearms in cars that are left unattended or face a $1,000 fine and possible jail time.

In January 2026, the state legislature passed Senate Bill 204 to undermine the local control of cities like Savannah, stating that the state legislature has sole jurisdiction over gun laws.

Senate Minority Leader Harold Jones II, D–Augusta, removed his name from SB 204 when he discovered that it was being used “to limit the ability of local governments to make public safety decisions for their own communities.”

If Gov. Kemp signs or doesn’t act on SB 204, Savannah will be prohibited from enforcing its own vehicular safe storage law. If Kemp vetoes the bill, Savannah can continue to administer an ordinance that is preventing gun thefts and reducing homicides and crime.

Kemp has until May 12 to decide. Will he again align himself with the ultraright fringe of gun owners by signing the bill? Or will he show his independence by vetoing SB 204 and siding with the 62% of gun owners who, in a Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health survey, support mandatory safe storage laws?

As the primary and general elections near, Georgia voters deserve answers from candidates on how best to address the public health crisis caused by gun violence. The Georgia Majority for Gun Safety (GMGS) is a broad, diverse coalition including gun owners that is committed to advancing solutions that keep firearms out of the hands of children and those who pose a danger to themselves or others, without infringing on the second amendment.

We hope you will join us in asking candidates to sign the 2026 Gun Safety Candidate Pledge.