The nation continues to suffer due to gun violence and some Georgia lawmakers are looking to share their thoughts with Gov. Brian Kemp. Today, several Democrats will gather at the State Capitol to pressure Kemp to convene a special session of the legislation that will address and vote on gun-safety reforms.
The special session would come following the ongoing issue of gun violence in the nation and the recent mass shooting that occurred last week in Atlanta and another one in Moultrie, Georgia. According to reports, nearly 14,000 people in America have died due to gun violence, about 115 per day. There have been over 200 mass shootings in America this year.
Georgia has some of the most lax gun laws in America. In 2022, Kemp signed a law that allows residents to carry handguns in public without a license or background check. States that have adopted similar laws that allow permit-less carry have witnessed a 13-15% increase in violent crimes, according to National Bureau of Economic Research.
Although Kemp has opposed Democratic-backed gun laws in the past, some Democrat lawmakers (State Sen. Nabilah Islam, State Reps. Pedro Marin, Gregg Kennard and Ruewa Romman) are hoping that he will be inspired by what recently occurred in Texas and Tennessee.
Following the mass shooting in Allen, Texas, lawmakers in the Texas House of Representatives agreed to raise the age to buy certain semiautomatic rifles, from 18 to 21.
And in Tennessee, Republican Gov. Bill Lee called a special session of the legislature to convene in August that will address gun-safety legislation. This was after the state received national attention following the mass shooting at the Covenant School.
Georgia Democrats are proposing laws which include:
- Universal Background Checks, even for private sales of firearms
- Safe Storage of Firearms to protect children from accessing the guns
- “Red Flag” Restrictions to prevent those known to be at high risk for hurting themselves, or others, from buying guns
- Waiting Periods to Purchase Firearms, possibly for three days, to address situations in which impulse buys might lead to crimes of passion or suicide
Kemp has yet to respond to the requests made by the lawmakers.
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