SB550: SB550 Torts; manufacturers of firearms relative to absence or inclusion of safety features in certain instances; limit liability

Under current Georgia law, firearm manufacturers can potentially face product liability lawsuits claiming a gun was defectively designed because it lacked certain safety features. This bill would add a new section to Georgia's tort law (O.C.G.A. Title 51, Chapter 1) that protects manufacturers from being held liable for a defective product, failure to warn, or negligence claims based solely on the absence or presence of a design feature, safety mechanism, or performance standard that federal law does not require for the gun to be lawfully made, sold, imported, or possessed. The bill specifically names four features covered by this protection: magazine disconnect mechanisms, loaded chamber indicators, authorized user recognition technology (like fingerprint locks), and external manual safeties. The protection would not apply if a person suing can show the firearm had an actual manufacturing defect or did not perform as the manufacturer promised in its warranties. The bill repeals conflicting laws but does not state a separate effective date.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 51-1-58) protecting firearm manufacturers from lawsuits over missing or included safety features not required by federal law.
• Defines four specific safety technologies covered by the protection: magazine disconnect mechanisms, loaded chamber indicators, authorized user recognition technology, and external manual safeties.
• Blocks product liability, failure-to-warn, and negligence claims based on those features' absence or presence, unless federal law mandates them.
• Preserves the right to sue if a plaintiff can prove an actual manufacturing defect or that the gun failed to meet the manufacturer's own express warranties or claims.
• Repeals any existing Georgia laws that conflict with this new protection.

Firearm manufacturers doing business connected to Georgia would gain new legal protection. Georgians injured by firearms, including the estates of people killed by them, would face new limits on lawsuits claiming a gun should have had a safety feature like a manual safety or loaded chamber indicator.

People hurt by a firearm, or their families, would no longer be able to sue a manufacturer simply because the gun lacked a safety feature such as a magazine disconnect or fingerprint-recognition lock, as long as federal law does not require that feature. Lawsuits over actual defects or broken warranty promises would still be allowed.

• Section 1 creates new O.C.G.A. § 51-1-58 within Georgia's general tort law provisions in Title 51, Chapter 1.
• Subsection (a) defines key terms including 'authorized user recognition technology,' 'external manual safety,' 'firearm,' 'loaded chamber indicator,' and 'magazine disconnect mechanism.'
• Subsection (b) bars liability claims against firearm manufacturers based on the absence or presence of safety features not federally mandated, listing four specific examples.
• Subsection (c) carves out an exception: manufacturers can still be held liable if a plaintiff proves an actual manufacturing defect or a broken express warranty or representation.
• Section 2 repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.

1. 2026-02-24Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2026-02-23Senate Hopper (Senate)

• Carden Summers (R, SD-013)Primary sponsor
• Steve Gooch (R, SD-051)
• Russ Goodman (R, SD-008)
• Jason T. Dickerson (R, SD-021)
• Frank Ginn (R, SD-047)
• Jason Anavitarte (R, SD-031)
• Chuck Hufstetler (R, SD-052)

• firearm laws
• product liability
• gun manufacturer lawsuits
• tort law
• gun safety features