Savannah officials know they lack a legal leg to stand on for their ongoing dispute with the state over gun restrictions, and they may now face financial consequences for infringing on Second Amendment rights.
Georgia has a strong preemption law to block cities and counties from enacting their own misguided gun control statutes. The obvious outcome of allowing such actions is an unworkable patchwork quilt of gun laws that could make criminals out of good citizens.
Local officials want to blatantly ignore Georgia’s preemption law
On Tuesday, the Georgia Senate passed SB 204, sending the bill to the governor. It specifically addressed Savannah’s controversial law that bans storing firearms in unlocked vehicles.
Whatever the merits of the city statute are or are not, local lawmakers do not have the authority to pass and enforce gun control laws. And they know it.
However, in 2024, Savannah’s elected officials passed a law that punishes violators of the storage mandate with up to 30 days in jail and fines of up to $1,000.
SB 204 gives citizens recourse for violations of 2A rights
If signed, SB 204 would explicitly prohibit Savannah’s infringement on gun rights. It goes much further and allows citizens to sue local governments when they arbitrarily impose gun control that they have no authority to implement.
One state lawmaker threw down the gauntlet for Savannah and other municipalities considering more encroachments on Second Amendment rights.
State Sen. Colton Moore (R) blasted local governments for attempting to infringe on the right to keep and bear arms despite the Bill of Rights and existing state law.
“You see, we are the supreme lawmaking authority in this state…” Moore declared. “You can travel the state freely, knowing that you’re not going to be a victim of a crime and then be made a criminal, as we’ve seen in Savannah.”
Moore added that the bill will put “freedom back into the hands of the citizenry.”
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