Washington, D.C. — Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) made dangerous gun laws a key part of his agenda as governor, and it has caused the state to suffer a deadly increase in crime, according to a new fact sheet released today by the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
According to the fact sheet, upon taking office in 2019, Kemp courted gun manufacturers to bring more gunmakers into the state; signed a radical permitless carry bill over objections of law enforcement leaders; and signed a reciprocity bill that allows out-of-state residents to carry guns in Georgia if they have a permit from another state, regardless of how weak that state’s permitting law is. In the wake of these extreme policy changes, from 2018 to 2021, Georgia’s rural and urban communities alike have seen soaring crime rates, including a:
- 23 percent increase in homicides
- 18 percent increase in family violence incidents involving a gun
- 33 percent increase in illegal guns recovered on crime scenes
- 57 percent increase in crime guns flowing from Georgia to other states
“Gov. Kemp claims he wants to ‘protect Georgia families from violence,’ but his radical agenda has done the exact opposite,” said Jerry Parshall, senior director of CAP Action’s Safety and Justice Campaign. “By weakening the state’s already-loose gun laws, Kemp has made Georgia a more dangerous place to live. His deadly record speaks for itself—and Georgians are listening.”
Click here to read: “Fact Sheet: Dangerous Gun Laws in Georgia” by CAP Action
For additional state fact sheets, see “Dangerous Guns Laws Increase Violent Crime: A State-By-State Analysis”
For more information or to speak with an expert, please contact Colin Seeberger at [email protected].