Permitless Carry will allow gun owners in Georgia to conceal-carry a handgun without training, a background check, or a permit. In 2014, Georgia saw 1,391 firearm deaths of all forms, 506 of which were homicides. In 2020, Georgia had 1,897 firearm deaths of all forms, 899 of which were homicides. That represents nearly an 80% increase in firearm homicides in six years and recent data from the Gun Violence Archive indicates that this bloody surge is continuing.
Georgia’s public higher education system became the next target for “Guns Everywhere” in 2017, when the state passed legislation allowing guns on campus, despite seven previous years of defeat. We can’t let this trend of weakening gun laws continue to put Georgians in danger.
Andy Pelosi, Executive Director of The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus, responded to Governor Kemp’s bill signing, “In a March 30th tweet, Governor Kemp stated, ‘Public safety is the No. 1 responsibility of government’. If that is the case, why would the Georgia General Assembly and Governor Kemp eliminate a permitting procedure designed to protect public safety that requires an additional background check and good character standard before allowing people to carry loaded, hidden guns in public? Moreover, this new law will further endanger Georgia’s public, higher education institutions that were forced in 2017 to permit guns on campus.”
Ernest Coverson, Amnesty International USA’s End Gun Violence Manager, added, “Gun violence destroys families, harms communities and denies people their human rights. Data shows that states with universal handgun background checks had lower levels of gun violence across the board, and Governor Kemp’s decision to sign this permitless carry legislation is a failure for all Georgians that ultimately puts their safety at risk.”
Contact: Gabby Arias, Amnesty International USA (212-633-4145) [email protected]
Andy Pelosi, The Campaign to Keep Guns Off Campus (914-629-6726) [email protected]