On his last day in Senate, Colton Moore’s gun bill advances to governor
The state Senate gave a northwest Georgia senator the parting gift of allowing him to pass his first bill on his final day in the Legislature.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a Trenton Republican, filed paperwork Tuesday to run in a special election to fill the congressional seat recently vacated by Republican Marjorie Taylor Greene. State law requires Moore to step down from the Senate once he qualified to run for Congress.
Moore’s bill targets local laws — like one adopted in Savannah — that penalize people who leave weapons in unlocked cars. Under his measure, those charged under such a local gun ordinance could sue the city that passed it.
Moore has contended the Savannah ordinance was created illegally, and last November a judge agreed. Judge Joe Huffman of the Recorder’s Court of Chatham County invalidated the storage ordinance after a Savannah resident sued. Attorney General Chris Carr has also expressed doubts about the legality of the ordinance.
The law is on hold while Savannah appeals Huffman’s decision.
The Senate passed Senate Bill 204 in a 32-21 vote along party lines and sent it to Gov. Brian Kemp’s desk for final approval. Kemp has not indicated whether he will sign the bill.
Moore called the bill the “most pro-gun piece of legislation that I’ve seen passed out since I’ve been a member of the Senate.” Moore joined the Senate in 2022. He previously served one term in the House.
State Sen. Derek Mallow, who voted against the measure, defended the Savannah ordinance.
“It’s not regulating the gun. It is not regulating the gun owner,” the Savannah Democrat said. “It is regulating the car, saying you cannot leave an unlocked loaded firearm in a vehicle.”
Moore has been a controversial figure during his time in the General Assembly. He has had a yearslong conflict with members of his own party.
Senate leadership suspended Moore from the Republican Caucus in 2023 after publicly berating his fellow caucus members.
In 2024, Moore was banished from the House after disparaging deceased former House Speaker David Ralston, which culminated in a physical altercation last January as he sought to enter the chamber.
About the Authors
Maya T. Prabhu covers the Georgia Senate and statewide issues as a government reporter for The AJC. Born in Queens, New York, and raised in northern Virginia, Maya attended Spelman College and then the University of Maryland for a master's degree. She writes about social issues, the criminal justice system and legislative politics.
Caleb Groves is a general assignment reporter for The Atlanta Journal-Constitution's politics team and a Kennesaw State University graduate.
