---
title: SB 19. Brady Law Regulations; purchase or transfer of certain firearms; require a ten-day waiting period
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb19
cite_as: SB 19, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb19
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb19.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb19/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69414
date: 2025-01-17
status: introduced
corpus_version: bills-2026-09-13
license: Public record of the Georgia General Assembly, via LegiScan; see about.md
publisher: Georgia Commons, an independent project of Georgia Civic Data. Not the State of Georgia. Not legal advice.
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omitted: votes and history
omitted_chars: 95
omitted_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb19.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 19
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-16
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- David Lucas
- Emanuel Jones
- Harold Jones
- Kim Jackson
- Elena Parent
- Nan Orrock
- Sonya Halpern
- Sally Harrell
- RaShaun Kemp
- Jason Esteves
- Kenya Wicks
- Freddie Sims
- Josh McLaurin
- Ed Harbison
- Gail Davenport
- Michael Rhett
- Donzella James
- Nikki Merritt
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB19/2025
upstream_id: 1926068
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- gun control
- waiting period
- assault weapons
- firearm regulations
- gun dealers
---
# SB 19. Brady Law Regulations; purchase or transfer of certain firearms; require a ten-day waiting period
## Text
Senate Bill 19
By: Senators Lucas of the 26th, Jones of the 10th, Jones II of the 22nd, Jackson of the 41st,
Parent of the 44th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Part 5 of Article 4 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia
Annotated, relating to Brady Law Regulations, so as to require a ten-day waiting period for
the purchase or transfer of certain firearms; to provide for exceptions; to provide for criminal
penalties; to provide for definitions; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws;
and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Part 5 of Article 4 of Chapter 11 of Title 16 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to Brady Law Regulations, is amended by revising Code Section 16-11-171, relating
to definitions, as follows:
"16-11-171.
As used in this part, the term:
(1) 'Center' means the Georgia Crime Information Center within the Georgia Bureau of
Investigation.
(2) 'Dealer' means any person licensed as a dealer pursuant to 18 U.S.C. Section 921, et
seq.
(3) 'Firearm' means any weapon that is designed to or may readily be converted to expel
a projectile by the action of an explosive or the frame or receiver of any such weapon,
any firearm muffler or firearm silencer, or any destructive device as defined in 18 U.S.C.
Section 921(a)(3).
(4) 'Involuntarily hospitalized' means hospitalized as an inpatient in any mental health
facility pursuant to Code Section 37-3-81 or hospitalized as an inpatient in any mental
health facility as a result of being adjudicated mentally incompetent to stand trial or being
adjudicated not guilty by reason of insanity at the time of the crime pursuant to Part 2 of
Article 6 of Chapter 7 of Title 17.
(5) 'NICS' means the National Instant Criminal Background Check System created by
the federal 'Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act' (P. L. No. 103-159).
(6) 'Pistol grip' means a grip or similar feature on a weapon that can function as a grip
for the trigger hand.
(7) 'Semiautomatic assault weapon' means:
(A) Any selective firearm capable of fully semiautomatic or burst fire at the option of
the user;
(B) Any revolving cylinder shotgun;
(C) Any semiautomatic rifle that can accommodate a detachable magazine and that has
at least two of the following:
(i) A folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;
(iii) A bayonet mount;
(iv) A flash suppressor or threaded barrel designed to accommodate a flash
suppressor; or
(v) A grenade launcher;
(D) A semiautomatic pistol that can accommodate a detachable magazine and that has
at least two of the following:
(i) An ammunition magazine that attaches to the pistol outside of the pistol grip;
(ii) A threaded barrel that can accommodate a barrel extender, flash suppressor,
forward handgrip, or silencer;
(iii) A shroud that is attached to, or partially or completely encircles, the barrel and
that allows the shooter to hold the firearm with the nontrigger hand without being
burned;
(iv) A manufactured weight of 50 ounces or more when the pistol is unloaded; or
(v) A semiautomatic version of an automatic firearm; or
(E) A semiautomatic shotgun that has at least two of the following:
(i) A folding or telescoping stock;
(ii) A pistol grip that protrudes conspicuously beneath the action of the weapon;
(iii) A fixed magazine capacity in excess of five rounds; or
(iv) The capability to accommodate a detachable magazine."
SECTION 2.
Said part is further amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
"16-11-172.1.
(a) No transfer or purchase of a semiautomatic assault weapon conducted by a licensed
importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer shall be completed until the tenth day
after the initiation of such transfer or purchase; provided, however, that the calculation of
the ten days shall not include Saturdays, Sundays, or state or federal holidays; and
provided, further, that an NICS check may be conducted within such ten days.
(b) Licensed importers, licensed manufacturers, and licensed dealers shall, during normal
business hours, make records available for inspection by any law enforcement agency for
purposes of any criminal investigation.
(c) Subsection (a) of this Code section shall not apply when a semiautomatic assault
weapon is being transferred to or purchased by:
(1) The holder of a weapons carry license issued pursuant to Code Section 16-11-129;
or
(2) Any person provided for under Code Section 16-11-130.
(d) Any licensed importer, licensed manufacturer, or licensed dealer that violates this Code
section or any purchaser or transferee that uses fraud or false representation to avoid the
requirements of subsection (a) of this Code section shall be guilty of a felony and, upon
conviction, shall be punished by imprisonment for not less than one nor more than five
years."
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.
## Summaries written by Georgia Commons
The following was written by claude-sonnet-5 from the text above and is not part of the bill. Quote the text, not the summary.
Senate Bill 19 would create a new definition of 'semiautomatic assault weapon' in Georgia law and require a ten-day waiting period before licensed dealers can complete the sale or transfer of one.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia currently has no statewide waiting period for buying a firearm from a licensed dealer. This bill adds a detailed legal definition of 'semiautomatic assault weapon' to the state's Brady Law Regulations (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-171), covering certain rifles, shotguns, and pistols with features like folding stocks, pistol grips, flash suppressors, or detachable magazines that meet specific criteria.
The bill then adds a new Code section, 16-11-172.1, requiring licensed importers, manufacturers, and dealers to wait ten business days (excluding weekends and holidays) before completing any sale or transfer of a weapon meeting that definition. Dealers must keep records available for law enforcement inspection. The waiting period would not apply to people who already hold a Georgia weapons carry license or to certain other exempt purchasers. Dealers who violate the waiting period, or buyers who use fraud to get around it, would be guilty of a felony punishable by one to five years in prison.
### What it does
- Adds a new legal definition of 'semiautomatic assault weapon' covering specific rifles, shotguns, and pistols with combinations of features like detachable magazines, folding stocks, or flash suppressors.
- Creates a new ten-business-day waiting period before a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer can complete the sale or transfer of a weapon that fits that definition.
- Exempts people who already hold a Georgia weapons carry license, and certain other exempt persons under O.C.G.A. § 16-11-130, from the waiting period.
- Requires dealers to keep transfer records available for law enforcement to inspect during normal business hours.
- Makes it a felony, punishable by one to five years in prison, for a dealer to violate the waiting period or for a buyer to use fraud to dodge it.
### Who it affects
Gun dealers, importers, and manufacturers licensed under federal law; Georgians buying or receiving semiautomatic rifles, shotguns, or pistols that meet the bill's definition; holders of Georgia weapons carry licenses, who are exempt; and law enforcement agencies, which gain inspection access to dealer records.
### Why it matters
Buyers of firearms meeting the bill's 'semiautomatic assault weapon' definition would have to wait ten business days to complete a purchase from a licensed dealer, unless they already hold a carry license. Dealers face new record-keeping duties and felony liability for skirting the waiting period.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 16-11-171 to add definitions of 'pistol grip' and 'semiautomatic assault weapon,' listing specific rifle, shotgun, and pistol features that qualify.
- Section 2 adds new Code Section 16-11-172.1(a), requiring a ten-business-day wait before a licensed dealer, importer, or manufacturer can complete a sale or transfer of a qualifying weapon.
- Section 2 also adds subsection (b), requiring dealers to make records available to law enforcement for criminal investigations during normal business hours.
- Section 2 exempts weapons carry license holders and persons covered by O.C.G.A. § 16-11-130 from the waiting period under subsection (c).
- Section 2 sets a felony penalty of one to five years in prison for dealers who violate the waiting period or buyers who use fraud to avoid it, under subsection (d).
- Section 3 repeals all conflicting laws.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-16)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-01-17)
- Sponsors: David Lucas, Emanuel Jones, Harold Jones, Kim Jackson, Elena Parent, Nan Orrock, Sonya Halpern, Sally Harrell, RaShaun Kemp, Jason Esteves, Kenya Wicks, Freddie Sims, Josh McLaurin, Ed Harbison, Gail Davenport, Michael Rhett, Donzella James, Nikki Merritt
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69414
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb19.md?full=1