Georgia CommonsHB 472: Crimes and offenses; add certain facilities of the Geo. L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority to the locations in which the carrying of weapons or long guns is prohibited
Last action February 20, 2025 · House Second Readers
A Georgia House bill would add certain fenced facilities of the Geo. L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority to the list of places where carrying weapons or long guns is banned under state law.
The summaries below were written by an AI model (claude-sonnet-5) from the text of the bill and are not part of it. Quote the text, not the summary. The stored text is the Introduced version, the latest LegiScan holds.
In plain language
Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127) already lists specific locations where people are not allowed to carry weapons or long guns, such as certain government buildings and secured areas. This bill adds a new location to that list: facilities of the Geo. L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority that are enclosed by fencing at least 8 feet tall and marked with clear signs about the restriction at every entrance. The ban would only apply to areas that meet those fencing and signage conditions, and specifically excludes any part of the facility where vehicles are allowed to park. The bill makes only this one change to the existing weapons law and repeals any conflicting laws, but does not state a separate effective date beyond the standard process for new Georgia legislation.
What the bill does
- Adds Georgia World Congress Center Authority facilities described in O.C.G.A. § 10-9-14.1 to the list of places where carrying weapons or long guns is illegal.
- Limits the new restriction to areas enclosed by fencing at least 8 feet high with visible warning signs posted at every access point.
- Excludes any part of the facility used for vehicle parking from the new weapons restriction.
- Makes technical wording changes to the existing law's list format (changing punctuation between paragraphs) to fit in the new restricted location.
Who it affects
People who carry firearms or long guns, whether openly or with a weapons carry license, and visitors, employees, and event attendees at Geo. L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority facilities in Atlanta, which host large public events, conventions, and gatherings.
Why it matters
Anyone attending or working at qualifying Georgia World Congress Center facilities would be barred from carrying weapons or long guns into fenced, clearly marked areas, extending Georgia's existing restricted-carry list to a major public event venue while leaving parking areas unaffected.
Key provisions
- Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 16-11-127(b) by adding paragraph (8), naming Geo. L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority facilities described in O.C.G.A. § 10-9-14.1 as a restricted carry location.
- The restriction applies only where the facility is enclosed by fencing at least 8 feet high and has prominent postings of the restriction at all access points.
- The restriction explicitly does not apply to areas of the facility where vehicles are permitted to park.
- Section 2 repeals any existing laws that conflict with this change.
From the bill
“Within facilities of the Geo. L. Smith II Georgia World Congress Center Authority, as described in Code Section 10-9-14.1, which are enclosed by fencing that is at least 8 feet in height and includes prominent postings of notice of such restrictions at all access points”
“provided, however, that such facility is not a location where vehicles are permitted to park.”
Status timeline
- House Second Readers (House)
- House First Readers (House)
- House Hopper (House)
Sponsors
- Rick Jasperse (R, HD-011)
- Clint Crowe (R, HD-118)
- Ron Stephens (R, HD-164)
- Scott Holcomb (D, HD-101)
- Kimberly New (R, HD-040)
- Marcus Wiedower (R, HD-121)
Topics
- gun laws
- weapons carry restrictions
- Georgia World Congress Center
- public venue security