Court ruling doesn't alter Georgia gun laws

Photo by Vicki Harris

Photo by Vicki Harris

With the change in gun laws, followed by the Supreme Court's decision that cities and states can't infringe on the 2nd Amendment right to keep and bear arms, there is confusion about just exactly what folks can and can't do with their firearms. Please allow me to clarify some issues.

First, the Supreme Court's decision last June did not affect Georgia's gun laws in any way. States may not be allowed to ban firearms, but they can regulate the carry of them. Georgia has some of the least restrictive gun laws in the U.S., but what few restrictions we do have were not undone by the high court's ruling.



You do not need a permit to carry a firearm in your vehicle. The firearm may be carried anywhere in your vehicle and does not need to be in a locked compartment unless you are carrying it onto the property of any of the places specifically listed above. The only exception is at a nuclear power facility -- you can't have a firearm on that property at all.


Also, there are two types of gun laws: those that cover possession and those that cover usage. Georgia is one of the growing number of states that does not have a "duty to retreat" prior to using force. Many states have laws mandating that a person retreat from danger rather than standing their ground -- some even requiring retreat inside of the victim's own home. Georgia law plainly states that there is no duty to retreat, and further states that a victim who uses force in self-defense is immune from prosecution and liability so long as they are otherwise in compliance with the law.


Sheriff Kevin Sproul is a longtime resident of Dougherty County. Sproul has been employed with the Dougherty County Sheriff's Office for more than 27 years and can be reached at (229) 430-6508.