---
title: SB 53. Department of Public Safety; establishment of a program to educate the public on safe storage of firearms, contingent upon funding; provide
collection: bills
id: 2025-2026/sb53
cite_as: SB 53, 2025-2026 Regular Session (Ga.)
canonical_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb53
md_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb53.md
text_url: https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb53/text
source_url: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69631
date: 2025-01-29
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/sb53.md?full=1
bill_number: SB 53
session: 2025-2026 Regular Session
session_slug: 2025-2026
chamber: Senate
bill_type: bill
status_date: 2025-01-28
last_action: Senate Read and Referred
sponsors:
- Emanuel Jones
- Harold Jones
- Freddie Sims
- David Lucas
- Nan Orrock
- Elena Parent
- Kenya Wicks
- Michael Rhett
- Sheikh Rahman
- Gail Davenport
- Donzella James
- Nikki Merritt
- RaShaun Kemp
- Sonya Halpern
text_version: Introduced
has_text: true
legiscan_url: https://legiscan.com/GA/bill/SB53/2025
upstream_id: 1945170
summaries_model: claude-sonnet-5
topic_tags:
- gun safety
- firearm storage
- public safety
- school safety
- state funding
---
# SB 53. Department of Public Safety; establishment of a program to educate the public on safe storage of firearms, contingent upon funding; provide
## Text
Senate Bill 53
By: Senators Jones of the 10th, Jones II of the 22nd, Sims of the 12th, Lucas of the 26th,
Orrock of the 36th and others
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated,
relating to general provisions relative to the department of public safety, so as to provide for
the establishment of a program to educate the public on safe storage of firearms, contingent
upon funding; to provide for related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other
purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Article 1 of Chapter 2 of Title 35 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions relative to the department of public safety, is amended by adding a new
Code section to read as follows:
"35-2-17.
Subject to appropriations by the General Assembly or receipt of other funding for such
purpose, the department shall establish a program to educate the public on the safe storage
of firearms and to promote such safe storage. Such program may include information
including, but not limited to, any laws relating to storing a firearm and preventing persons
under 18 years of age from accessing a firearm. The department shall be authorized to
coordinate with the Department of Education in the development of materials providing
information on best practices for firearm storage for distribution of such materials in
schools. The department shall be authorized to accept federal funds granted by Congress
or executive order for the purposes of this Code section; provided, however, that any
acceptance and use of federal funds shall not commit state funds and shall not place an
obligation upon the General Assembly to continue the purposes for which the federal funds
are made available."
SECTION 2.
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.
A Georgia Senate bill would let the Department of Public Safety create a public education program on safely storing firearms, but only if the General Assembly funds it or other money becomes available.
### Plain-language summary
Georgia law currently has no dedicated program teaching the public about safe firearm storage. This bill would add a new section to the state code authorizing the Department of Public Safety to create such a program, but only if the General Assembly appropriates money for it or other funding, including federal funds, becomes available.
The program could cover topics like state laws on storing firearms and preventing children under 18 from accessing them. The department could work with the Department of Education to create materials for distribution in schools. The bill specifically allows the department to accept federal funds from Congress or executive order for this purpose, but makes clear that doing so would not commit any state money or obligate the legislature to keep funding the program afterward.
### What it does
- Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. ยง 35-2-17) letting the Department of Public Safety run a public education program on safe firearm storage.
- Makes the program contingent on the General Assembly appropriating state funding or on the department receiving other funding for the purpose.
- Allows the program to cover firearm storage laws and information on keeping firearms away from people under 18.
- Authorizes the department to coordinate with the Department of Education to create school distribution materials on firearm storage best practices.
- Permits the department to accept federal funds from Congress or an executive order, while specifying that doing so does not commit state money or bind future legislatures.
### Who it affects
The Department of Public Safety, which would run the program if funded; the Department of Education and Georgia schools, which could receive and distribute storage-safety materials; and the general public, including gun owners and families with children, who could access the educational information.
### Why it matters
If funded, Georgia families and gun owners could get state-produced guidance on storing firearms safely and keeping them from children, and schools could distribute related materials. Because the program depends entirely on future funding, its actual creation is not guaranteed by this bill alone.
### Key provisions
- Section 1 adds new Code section 35-2-17 to Title 35, Chapter 2 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, covering the Department of Public Safety.
- The program's creation is expressly conditioned on 'appropriations by the General Assembly or receipt of other funding for such purpose.'
- Program content may include laws on firearm storage and preventing access by people under 18, though the list is not exhaustive.
- The department may coordinate with the Department of Education to develop and distribute storage-safety materials in schools.
- The department may accept federal funds for the program, but such funds cannot commit state money or require the General Assembly to continue funding it.
- Section 2 repeals any conflicting laws, a standard closing provision.
## Status
- Status: Introduced (2025-01-28)
- Last action: Senate Read and Referred (2025-01-29)
- Sponsors: Emanuel Jones, Harold Jones, Freddie Sims, David Lucas, Nan Orrock, Elena Parent, Kenya Wicks, Michael Rhett, Sheikh Rahman, Gail Davenport, Donzella James, Nikki Merritt, RaShaun Kemp, Sonya Halpern
- Official page: https://www.legis.ga.gov/legislation/69631
> The history, votes, and amendments (95 characters) are at https://georgiacommons.org/bills/2025-2026/sb53.md?full=1