HB207: HB207 Firearms; storage within a motor vehicle or vessel; provide

Georgia law currently lets a 'lawful weapons carrier' have a handgun or long gun at home, on their own property, in their vehicle, or at their business without a specific storage requirement, and lets them carry a long gun almost anywhere not otherwise restricted. House Bill 207 would rewrite part of that law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126) so that instead of simply being allowed to carry in those places, a qualifying person 'shall be authorized' to do so, a wording change that makes the right explicit rather than permissive. The bill's main substantive change requires that when a lawful weapons carrier transports a handgun or long gun in a private passenger vehicle or private boat, the weapon must be kept in a locked compartment, a locked container, or a locked firearms rack. It also restates the existing misdemeanor and felony penalties for unlawful carrying of a weapon. A second section updates the school safety zone law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127.1) so its exceptions for parents, teachers, and staff line up with the new locked-storage language when weapons are stored in vehicles near schools.

• Rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126 to change permissive 'may carry' language to 'shall be authorized to' carry for weapons kept at home, on personal property, in a vehicle, or at a place of business.
• Adds a requirement that a lawful weapons carrier transporting a handgun or long gun in a private passenger vehicle keep it in a locked compartment, locked container, or locked firearms rack.
• Extends the same locked-storage requirement to handguns and long guns transported in a private vessel (boat).
• Preserves existing penalties for unlawful carrying: a misdemeanor with up to a $500 fine for a first offense, and a felony with 2 to 5 years in prison for a second offense within five years.
• Updates exceptions in the school safety zone law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127.1) so parents, teachers, and staff who store weapons in vehicles near schools are covered under the new locked-storage rule.

Georgia gun owners who qualify as lawful weapons carriers and transport handguns or long guns in their personal vehicles or boats, as well as parents, teachers, and school staff who legally keep weapons stored in vehicles near schools or school functions.

If enacted, gun owners who currently may carry or transport firearms in their vehicles or boats without a specific locking rule would instead need to secure them in a locked compartment, container, or rack, changing daily practice for how firearms are stored during transport.

• Section 1 revises subsections (a) through (c) of O.C.G.A. § 16-11-126, changing 'may carry' to 'shall be authorized to' carry at home, on personal property, in a vehicle, or at a place of business.
• Section 1 requires that handguns or long guns transported in a private passenger vehicle be kept in a locked compartment, locked container, or locked firearms rack.
• Section 1 extends the same locked-storage requirement to weapons transported in a private vessel.
• Section 1 restates that private property owners retain the right to exclude or eject armed persons from their property.
• Section 1 keeps the penalty structure: a misdemeanor with a fine up to $500 for a first unlawful carrying offense, and a felony with 2 to 5 years imprisonment for a second offense within five years.
• Section 2 revises paragraphs (7), (8), and (17) of O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127.1 to align school safety zone exceptions with the new locked-storage requirement for weapons kept in vehicles.
• Section 3 repeals any conflicting laws.

1. 2025-02-04House Second Readers (House)
2. 2025-02-03House First Readers (House)
3. 2025-01-30House Hopper (House)

• Omari Crawford (D, HD-089)Primary sponsor
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)
• Anne Westbrook (D, HD-163)
• Inga Willis (D, HD-055)
• Michelle Au (D, HD-050)

• gun laws
• firearm storage
• concealed carry
• school safety zones
• weapons penalties