Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr sent a letter to the City of Savannah on Friday which declared their new gun ordinance “void” due to its failure to adhere to state laws precluding local governments from establishing their own firearm regulations.
The Savannah firearms ordinance in question, which reportedly had the support of Moms Demand Action, legally mandated firearm owners to report stolen or missing firearms within 24 hours, keep guns under lock and key while when they are transported in generals and required guns be kept out of sight and locked up if left in an unattended vehicle.
Carr (pictured above) told city officials the Georgia Constitution mandates, “no local or special law shall be enacted in any case for which a provision has already been made,” and existing Georgia laws and legal precedent “expressly preempts local regulations of firearms.”
The attorney general explained this means Savannah has no authority to regulate firearms.
“Because the City of Savannah lacks the authority to regulate the possession, ownership, and transportation of firearms, this Office’s view is that the ordinances are ultra vires and void.”
Carr claimed his office did not analyze “potential consequences” for Savannah if the city should move forward with the ordinance, but warned, “at a minimum, it appears that the City should not the potential civil liability” associated with enforcing the ordinance.
“Given this concern alone, it appears that the City should give immediate consideration to rescinding its approval” of the ordinances, wrote Carr.
Despite the concern for costly civil lawsuits stemming from the ordinance, Mayor Van Johnson reportedly claimed the city will enforce the local regulation regardless of the warning from Carr.
A statement by the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) wing of the National Rifle Association (NRA) explained on Friday that it submitted a recent request to Carr to review Savannah’s ordinance.
In a statement, the organization confirmed, “NRA thanks Attorney General Carr for taking swift action on this issue and upholding the state’s firearms preemption law.”
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Tom Pappert is the lead reporter for The Tennessee Star, and also reports for The Georgia Star News, The Pennsylvania Daily Star, and The Arizona Sun Times. Follow Tom on X/Twitter. Email tips to [email protected].
Photo “AG Chris Carr” by AG Chris Carr.
