Georgia Pediatricians Advocate for Safe Gun Storage Laws
ATLANTA – In a recent legislative study committee hearing, pediatricians recommended that the General Assembly adopt both incentives and regulations to mitigate gun violence in Georgia.
During the session held at the Georgia Capitol, members of Georgia Clinicians for Gun Safety proposed tax credits to encourage the purchase of safe firearm storage devices and the implementation of laws requiring secure gun storage, with penalties for non-compliance. These recommendations were made to the state Senate Safe Firearm Storage Study Committee.
Firearms have become the leading cause of death among young people in Georgia, according to Dr. Sofia Chaudhary, a pediatric emergency medicine physician and chair of the GA American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Chapter Injury And Violence Prevention Committee.
“This is a public health crisis,” Chaudhary stated. “Georgia’s children deserve to grow up in an environment free from gun violence.”
While mass school shootings, such as the recent incident at Apalachee High School near Winder, receive substantial media attention, there is also a growing concern over teen suicides and accidental shootings.
Dr. Keisha Doh, a pediatric emergency medicine physician at Children’s Health Care of Atlanta, highlighted that toddlers and teenagers are the most frequent victims of accidental shootings involving young people.
“Unintentional firearm injuries are preventable,” Doh emphasized.
State House Speaker Jon Burns, R-Newington, endorsed tax incentives for the purchase of gun safes and trigger locks following the school shooting in Barrow County. Additionally, State School Superintendent Richard Woods called for state funding to ensure every Georgia school has a resource officer and a crisis alert system.
However, Georgia Republicans have generally shown resistance to mandating safe storage of firearms or enacting “red flag” laws, which would allow the temporary confiscation of firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others.
Several witnesses at the hearing suggested that public education campaigns could also play a crucial role in addressing gun violence, without the need for new legislation.
Jessie Ojeda, state policy attorney for Giffords, a nonprofit organization founded by former Congresswoman Gabby Giffords after surviving an assassination attempt in 2011, noted that states like Tennessee, Texas, and Utah have initiated public education campaigns to promote safe firearm storage.
“Safe storage is not just a recommendation,” Ojeda remarked. “It is a necessity to protect our families and communities from preventable tragedies.”
Sen. Emanuel Jones, D-Decatur, chair of the study committee, announced that the panel will hold a final meeting next month to develop specific legislative recommendations for the General Assembly to consider during the 2025 session starting in January.
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