ATLANTA — The Georgia Senate voted along party lines Tuesday to ban cities from requiring gun owners to lock up their guns in cars, the first bill approved in this year’s legislative session.
The bill is a response to a Savannah ordinance that outlawed leaving handguns, rifles or shotguns in unattended vehicles unless they’re securely stored. A Chatham County judge ruled in November that the ordinance is unconstitutional.
The legislation now heads to Gov. Brian Kemp for his signature or veto. The Senate approved the bill 32-21 on Tuesday after it passed the state House on the final day of last year’s legislative session.
State Sen. Colton Moore, a Republican from Trenton, said the bill would protect the rights of gun owners. In Savannah, 41 people received citations under the city’s ordinance, which comes with a maximum penalty of a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail.
“You can travel the state freely knowing you’re not going to be a victim of a crime and then be made a criminal as we’ve seen in Savannah,” Moore said during the Senate debate on Senate Bill 204. “We’re putting freedom back into the hands of the citizenry.”
Savannah’s ordinance required guns left in vehicles to be securely stored in a glove compartment, console, locked trunk, or behind the last upright seat of a vehicle without a trunk. The ordinance also mandated that unoccupied vehicles must be kept locked when there’s a gun inside.
State Sen. Derek Mallow, a Democrat from Savannah, said the ordinance reduced gun thefts in Savannah by 30% in the year since the city enacted it in 2024.
“The city overwhelmingly supports the Second Amendment, but they also believe that public safety is at risk when guns are stolen from unlocked cars,” Mallow said. “They can fall into the wrong hands very easily.”
The bill also allows weapons carriers who receive citations to sue local governments for $25,000 plus attorney fees.