I'm not a fan of leaving guns in the car, as a general rule, but thanks to gun-free zones, you sometimes don't have a choice. However, in Savannah, Georgia, a momentary lapse in focus when you do so may land you in hot water.
That's a problem because local governments can't pass gun laws in the state.
Georgia is one of many states with a preemption law in place. That means all gun control legislation must come from the General Assembly. If a city feels it needs such an ordinance, it can petition the state legislature to pass one.
Savannah, however, didn't. They decided to make it a crime if your gun was stolen from your car.
Georgia Attorney General Chris Carr has taken action to support a new lawsuit challenging the city of Savannah's guns-in-cars ordinance.
The local law aims to penalize gun owners whose firearms are stolen from their cars under certain circumstances. Under this ordinance, having a gun stolen from an unlocked vehicle or one that is not secured in the center console, trunk, glove compartment, or behind the seat can result in a $1,000 fine or a one-month jail sentence.
Supporters believe the ordinance helps reduce the number of stolen firearms getting into the hands of criminals. Those opposed believe the law is an illegal infringement on the rights of law-abiding gun owners.
"This misguided attempt to punish law-abiding Georgians does absolutely nothing to address crime, and it won’t hold up in Court," said Carr. "No matter how much the Mayor disagrees with our laws, he cannot openly infringe on the Second Amendment rights of our citizens. Progressive politics aren’t a defense for government overreach."
Savannah Mayor Van Johnson argues that Carr hasn't done enough to help communities deal with the problem of stolen guns, but I fail to see just what Johnson really thinks Carr should do.
Penalizing the victims of gun thefts doesn't seem productive, for one thing. If anyone thinks their gun is going to be stolen, they're not going to leave it unsecured in the first place, after all. This is just punishing people after the fact.
As for the criminals who are the real problem, stealing guns is already illegal, and that didn't stop them.
Moreover, I find it amusing that Johnson is upset that Carr isn't doing more to combat people breaking the law, while he's being smacked down for breaking the law.
While violating preemption doesn't lead to prison time, unfortunately, it's still against the law for a town to create its own gun restrictions, with the exception of them being able to prohibit the discharge of a gun in the city limits--that's for Georgia. Other states have other exceptions, or maybe none at all.
Savannah isn't about that, though, and that's why Carr is coming down on them.
But hey, if they wanted to do something to prevent guns being stolen out of cars, working to eliminate gun-free zones so lawful gun carriers don't have to disarm themselves while out and about would probably do a whole lot more good than punishing them for their gun being stolen.
