Citation(s) from the GunPolicy.org literature library
Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 2024 ‘Location Restrictions in Georgia.’ Guns in Public. San Francisco, CA: Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence. 23 November
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[Editor's note: The Giffords Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence regularly updates its webpages with new data as US gun regulation evolves state by state. For the most up-to-date information on US gun laws, please refer to the Giffords URL below]
Other Location Restrictions in Georgia
Georgia law prohibits anyone from carrying a firearm:
- In a government building, courthouse, jail, prison, place of worship;
- In a state mental health facility that admits individuals on an involuntary basis for treatment of mental illness, developmental disability; or addictive disease;
- In a bar, unless the owner of the bar permits the carrying of firearms by license holders; or
- Within 150 feet of any polling place.
These location restrictions do not apply, however, to a firearm possessed by a "weapon carry" license holder if the firearm is under the license holder's control in a motor vehicle or is in a locked compartment, container, or firearms rack in or on a motor vehicle parked in parking facility.
A law Georgia enacted in 2010 repealed several stronger restrictions, including a provision prohibiting a license holder from consuming alcoholic beverages in a restaurant or other eating establishment while carrying a firearm, and a provision prohibiting the carrying of firearms at "public gatherings" defined to include athletic and sporting events and political rallies and functions.
Georgia prohibits any person (including the holder of a weapons carry license) from carrying, possessing or having under his or her control a firearm while on the premises of a nuclear power facility.
In addition, private property owners and persons in legal control of property through a lease, rental agreement, licensing agreement, contract or other agreement to control access to property generally have the right to forbid possession of a firearm on their property.
Firearms are generally prohibited in all parks, historic sites, and recreational areas. However, a person with a valid "weapons carry" license may carry a handgun in these locations, including in all publicly owned buildings located in such parks, historic sites and recreational areas, and in wildlife management areas, and on public transportation, but may not carry a handgun into a place where it is prohibited by federal law.
In addition, regarding wildlife management areas and public fishing areas, Georgia prohibits the possession of:
- A firearm, other than a handgun, during a closed hunting season for that area unless such firearm is unloaded and stored in a motor vehicle so as not to be readily accessible
- A handgun during a closed hunting season for that area unless such person possesses a valid weapons carry license;
- A loaded firearm other than a handgun, in a motor vehicle during a legal open hunting season for that area; or
- A loaded handgun in a motor vehicle during a legal open hunting season for that area unless such person possesses a valid weapons carry license.
Similarly, the 2010 Georgia law generally prohibits anyone from having a firearm on or about one's person in the terminal of an airport, unless the person has a "weapons carry" license. However, even license holders may not carry a firearm where prohibited by federal law.