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 calling for urgent action on gun safety as four people were shot and killed and over a dozen were shot and wounded in shootings across the Peach State over the weekend. This month has been marred by a deadly gun violence wave; just last week, two people were shot and killed and six others were wounded at Buckhead Nightclub in Downtown Atlanta.
“We’re stuck in an endless cycle of gun violence that is tearing apart our state – where our lawmakers cave to the gun lobby while our communities pay a deadly price,” said Sharmaine Brown, a volunteer with the Georgia chapter of Moms Demand Action. “Georgia lawmakers continue to fail in their duty to keep people safe and their inaction is tearing apart our communities. A college dorm room, a lively downtown, a night out — all of these places should be free from the threat of gun violence. We won’t stop fighting until this becomes a reality.”
“Students at Kennesaw State are hurting right now. We’re hurting for our classmate who should be alive today, we’re hurting because we should feel safe on our campus–but we’re not, and we’re hurting for all the communities in Georgia that experienced gun violence this weekend,” said Elle Briglevich, a volunteer leader with Students Demand Action in Georgia. “Georgia has some of the weakest gun laws in the country and it shows. It’s beyond enraging that our lawmakers allow this crisis to rage on while our communities are wrecked in the process. We deserve better than this.”
A snapshot of this weekend’s gun violence:
- ATLANTA: On Friday, a 12-year-old boy was shot multiple times as a bystander near the intersection of Martin Luther King Junior Drive NW and Hamilton E. Holmes Drive NW.
- KENNESAW – On Saturday, an armed intruder entered the Kennesaw State campus where they shot and killed Alasia Franklin, a 21-year-old student, before fleeing the scene. The suspect was arrested and charged over the weekend. The victim’s father described the shooter as an ex-boyfriend.
- SAVANNAH: On Friday, two people were injured in separate shootings, while on Saturday, two people were killed and at least a dozen others were shot and wounded in separate shootings in Savannah, including one around Ellis Square. According to reports, victims were treated at the scene and “several” were taken to a hospital.
- ATLANTA: According to reports, during the early hours of Saturday morning, Atlanta police discovered a 21-year-old woman sitting in the passenger seat shot and killed, with the driver on the scene and a toddler in the backseat. In a separate shooting on Saturday afternoon, a man was shot and wounded in the 900 block of Washington Street SW and Atlanta police are still looking for the shooter.
In 2022, Georgia repealed the permit and background check requirement for carrying a concealed handgun in public, despite the fact that 88 percent of Americans believe that a permit should be required before carrying a concealed gun in public. This and other dangerous gun laws have and continue to make Georgians less safe.
As the Georgia State Legislature has been ceding to the gun lobby’s ”guns everywhere” agenda, by allowing guns to be carried nearly anywhere in the state — from the busy Atlanta airport to college campuses, gun violence has been on the rise. The rate of gun deaths has increased 56% from 2013 to 2022 in Georgia, compared to a 36% increase nationwide. In Georgia, the rate of gun suicide increased 26% and gun homicide increased 101% from 2013 to 2022, compared to an 18% increase and 70% increase nationwide, respectively. More information about gun violence in Georgia is available here.
If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or intimate partner violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, available 24/7, for confidential assistance from a trained advocate. If you’re unable to speak safely via phone, you can chat online at thehotline.org.