SB 231: Firearms; activities relating to such that occur at a sport shooting range; negligent acts of a third party involving the use of a weapon, firearm; limit liability of a weapons, firearms, or ammunition manufacturer, trade assoc.

Current Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 16-11-173) already blocks local governments from regulating guns, gun shows, and dealers, and reserves to the state alone the right to sue gun manufacturers, trade associations, or dealers over the lawful design, marketing, or sale of firearms. This bill expands that protection significantly. It adds a new rule saying that gun and ammunition manufacturers, trade associations, sport shooting range owners or operators, and dealers cannot be held liable as a third party when someone else acts unlawfully, intentionally, or negligently with a weapon, firearm, or ammunition, including incidents that happen at a shooting range. It also extends the state's exclusive right to sue to cover shooting range owners and activities at ranges. At the same time, it deletes the existing carve-out that let a city, county, or local authority sue a manufacturer or dealer for breach of contract or breach of warranty over firearms the local government itself purchased.

• Bars holding gun and ammunition manufacturers, trade associations, dealers, and shooting range owners or operators liable for another person's unlawful, intentional, or negligent acts involving a weapon, firearm, or ammunition.
• Extends that liability shield to cover activities that occur at a sport shooting range.
• Expands the state's exclusive right to sue firearms manufacturers, trade associations, and dealers so it also covers sport shooting range owners and operators and range-related activities.
• Removes the current exception that allowed a city, county, or local government authority to sue a manufacturer or dealer for breach of contract or breach of warranty over firearms it purchased.
• Repeals any other Georgia laws that conflict with these changes.

Gun, ammunition, and weapons manufacturers, trade associations, dealers, and sport shooting range owners and operators would gain new legal protections. Local governments, school districts, and other state political subdivisions would lose their ability to sue these businesses, including over contracts they signed for firearms purchases.

People injured by someone else's misuse of a firearm, or by an incident at a shooting range, would generally not be able to hold the manufacturer, dealer, or range owner responsible in those cases. Local governments would also lose their existing right to sue over firearms purchase contracts, leaving only the state able to bring such claims.

• Section 1 amends O.C.G.A. § 16-11-173(b)(2), adding language that bars liability for manufacturers, trade associations, sport shooting range owners or operators, and dealers for third parties' unlawful, intentional, or negligent acts involving weapons or ammunition.
• Section 1 also adds sport shooting range owners and operators, and activities occurring at a shooting range, to the category of parties and conduct that only the state may sue over.
• Section 1 deletes the prior exception permitting a political subdivision or local government authority to sue a manufacturer or dealer for breach of contract or express warranty on firearms it purchased.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws, a standard closing provision.

1. 2025-02-21Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-02-20Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)Primary sponsor
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Timothy Bearden (R, SD-030)
• Randy Robertson (R, SD-029)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Sam Watson (R, SD-011)
• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)
• Drew Echols (R, SD-049)
• Colton Moore (R, SD-053)
• Clint Dixon (R, SD-045)

• gun laws
• firearms liability
• sport shooting ranges
• local government lawsuits
• gun manufacturers