Georgia Lawmakers Fail to Pass Gun Safety Legislation in the Wake of Mass Shooting at Apalachee High School

ATLANTA—The Georgia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots network, issued the following statements after state lawmakers failed to pass any substantive gun violence prevention measures to keep communities safe in the wake of the Apalachee High School shooting.

“Georgia lawmakers had the chance to protect our children after the tragedy at Apalachee High School, but instead they chose silence and inaction. Their failure to pass any meaningful common-sense gun safety laws isn’t just a political failure—it’s a betrayal of the people of Georgia,” said Christy Akers, a volunteer with the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Our children deserve better than empty promises — they deserve safety. It’s past time for our leaders to put their lives above the influence of the gun lobby and take real action to protect them.”

“Georgia has a gun violence crisis on its hands and once again, the politicians that were elected to address public safety have failed us,” said Tarynn Anderson, a volunteer leader with Georgia Students Demand Action. “As long as those in positions of power neglect to put our rights over the gun lobby’s agenda, students like me will continue to grow up in a country where we’re taught how to hide from a school shooter before learning to tie our own shoes.”

This session, Georgia lawmakers failed to pass HB 79, a law that, as filed, would have created a state income tax credit for the purchases of secure storage devices, encouraging gun owners to promote responsible gun ownership practices and securely store their firearms away from children and unauthorized users. More than half of all gun owners do not store all of their firearms securely. Secure gun storage is proven to reduce youth gun violence dramatically, with households that lock firearms and ammunition seeing up to 85% fewer unintentional injuries. Twenty six states have child-access or secure storage laws, including Florida, North Caroline and Texas. HB 79’s original policies could have helped to prevent unintentional shootings by children, youth suicides, school shootings, gun thefts, and other tragedies caused by guns falling into the wrong hands.  

Georgia knows all too well the devastating impact of gun violence. Following the mass shooting at Apalachee High School in Winder, where a 14-year-old, armed with an assault weapon given to him by a parent, shot and killed two adults and two children, wounding seven others, the tragedy sparked a statewide outcry. Georgians demanded that lawmakers take immediate and decisive action to prevent such tragedies and protect communities from gun violence. Yet, despite the overwhelming public demand, Georgia remains one of the remaining states without child access prevention (CAP) laws that hold gun owners accountable when a child gains access to firearms. Furthermore, the state’s Secure Storage laws are woefully inadequate. Rather than prioritizing gun safety and enacting necessary reforms, lawmakers failed to do more to prevent gun violence in the state. This is an affront to the survivors and the grieving families of those killed at Apalachee High School.

In an average year, 2,005 people die by guns in Georgia, and 5,029 people are wounded by guns. With a rate of 18.5 deaths per 100,000 people, Georgia has the 12th-highest rate of gun homicide in the US. Gun violence costs the average Georgia resident $2,249 each year, with the 15th-highest per resident cost of gun violence in the US. Read more about the impacts of gun violence in Georgia here.