ATLANTA — The Georgia chapters of Moms Demand Action and Students Demand Action, both part of Everytown for Gun Safety’s grassroots networks, released the following statement after the Georgia Senate Judiciary Committee advanced SB 319, permitless carry legislation which would allow people to carry loaded handguns in public with no background check and no questions asked.
“With gun violence devastating communities across Georgia, the last thing our lawmakers should do is pass a dangerous policy like permitless carry,” said Elaine DeSimone, a volunteer with the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Governor Kemp, former Senator Perdue, and gun lobby allies in the state legislature are playing political games with our lives – ignoring the research which shows that permitless carry is deadly and the polling which shows that it’s unpopular, too.”
An Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll released last week revealed an overwhelming opposition to permitless carry among Georgia voters. According to the AJC, nearly seven in ten Georgia voters who responded to the poll said they are opposed to permitless carry legislation.
What to know about permitless carry in Georgia:
- Permitless carry legislation would allow a person to carry loaded handguns in public without a background check, dismantling Georgia’s culture of responsible gun ownership.
- Permitless carry laws significantly hinder law enforcement’s ability to prevent people with dangerous histories — including extremists and white supremacists with criminal histories — to carry firearms, putting public safety in jeopardy.
- States with weaker gun laws have higher rates of gun deaths – and in Georgia the concealed carry permit requirement is the last foundational gun safety law on the books, putting the state at risk of eliminating one of their last public safety laws and exacerbating their gun violence crisis.
- States that have weakened their firearm permitting system have experienced a 13-15 percent increase in violent crime rates and an 11 percent increase in handgun homicide rates.
- Permitless carry has been staunchly opposed by law enforcement across the country, including in Alabama, Tennessee, Texas, Louisiana, and South Carolina.
More information about permitless carry is available here.