Tag: School shootings

Just weeks into the new school year, a tragedy unfolded at Apalachee High School. A troubled 14-year-old, armed with an AR-style rifle, shot and killed four people—two students and two teachers—leaving nine more critically injured. As our community reels, Governor Brian Kemp offers the same tired response: thoughts, prayers, and a call for “investigation” instead of action.

But how many more investigations do we need? How many more children need to die before we stop hiding behind hollow platitudes and do something to prevent the next tragedy? It’s time for leadership, and it’s time for action. What Republicans are offering is too little, too late. 

For years, Republican leaders in Georgia have prioritized guns over public safety. Governor Kemp’s first gubernatorial campaign in 2018 was built on promises to loosen gun restrictions. He even ran a TV ad where he pointed a rifle, point blank, at a teenage boy. Then, in 2022, he signed Senate Bill 319 into law, allowing both open and concealed carry without a permit, without fingerprinting, and without background checks or safety training.

Governor Kemp says he wears his “F” grade from the Giffords Law Center as “a badge of honor.” But what does that say to the parents of the children killed at Apalachee High? It says that guns matter more than their children’s lives. It says that the gun lobby’s dollars are worth more than a child’s future. Kemp may find honor in his failure, but it is our children who pay its heavy price. 

Governor Kemp’s suggestion that ‘now is not the time for politics‘ is a cop-out. Voters elect politicians to do a job. We are tasked with solving problems, not simply offering performative gestures. 

Under Georgia law, it’s perfectly legal for a minor to possess an assault weapon like the one used at Apalachee High. There are no restrictions on a child receiving an AR-15 as a gift or purchasing one from an unlicensed seller. Why on Earth is it easier for a teenager in Georgia to get a weapon of war than it is for them to vote or to see a doctor when they’re sick? 

This isn’t an abstract question—it’s the deadly reality we face. Georgia’s laws are written in a way that prioritizes gun rights over children’s lives, and now is the time to change that. Guns don’t belong in the hands of unsupervised minors, and certainly not AR-style rifles that can fire dozens of rounds per minute. It is an unconscionable failure of leadership that this loophole still exists.

Now, rest assured, no one is coming to take your guns. I’m not interested in stripping law-abiding citizens of their Second Amendment rights. Keep your gun. Just keep it secure. Use it responsibly. But don’t let your rights infringe on someone else’s God-given right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.

This is about common sense. It is about mandatory safe storage laws, which require guns to be kept locked and out of reach of children and others who could misuse them. It’s about red flag laws, which allow authorities to temporarily remove firearms from individuals deemed a danger to themselves or others. Plus, it’s about closing background check loopholes that let dangerous people get their hands on guns.

These aren’t radical ideas. In fact, most gun owners already support them. The truth is, most people want to be responsible, but we need laws that ensure everyone is held to the same standard of responsibility.

While we grieve, Republican lawmakers offer half-hearted gestures that lack urgency. For example, Republicans claim to care about mental health, yet they refuse to do the one thing that would most effectively increase resources for mental health care—a full expansion of Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. In fact, Georgia dropped approximately 300,000 children from Medicaid programs in 2023. 

Georgia also has one of the worst rankings for school psychologist-to-student ratios in the country.

Instead, Republicans talk about arming teachers. It is an idea so absurd that it’s opposed by teachers, law enforcement, and school safety experts alike. They suggest building fortresses out of our schools, with armed guards and high-tech security systems. However, they do not offer real funding or support to make that a reality.

These are not solutions. These are distractions from the real issue: we have a gun violence crisis in this state, and we’re doing nothing about it.

We don’t have to live like this. We don’t have to send our children to schools that feel more like war zones than places of learning. And, we can make our communities safer by passing common-sense gun reforms that the majority of Georgians, including responsible gun owners, support.

First, we need mandatory safe storage laws. Every gun should be stored safely, especially in homes with children. Safe storage prevents accidents, suicides, and keeps firearms out of the hands of those who shouldn’t have access to them.

Second, we need to enact red flag laws. These laws have been proven to save lives by temporarily removing guns from individuals in crisis. Why wait until someone harms themselves or others? Why not act when we see clear warning signs?

Finally, we must expand background checks to close the loopholes that allow dangerous individuals to obtain firearms without any oversight. It’s common sense that anyone buying a gun should pass a background check, no matter where or how they purchase it.

And we must, without delay, ban minors from owning AR-style rifles. These are weapons of war, not tools for hunting or self-defense. A 14-year-old should not be able to access a weapon capable of such widespread carnage. This loophole is a direct threat to our children, and it must be closed.

It is time for Republicans to lead or get out of the way. The question before us is simple: will we do something, or will we continue to do nothing? Will we protect our children, or will we continue to sacrifice their lives on the altar of political expediency?

For years, Democrats in Georgia have been fighting for common-sense gun reforms, only to be blocked by Republicans who refuse to act. But the tide is turning. Voters are demanding action. Governor Kemp says this isn’t the time for politics, but that’s exactly what we need: the political will to stand up to the gun lobby and do what’s right for Georgia’s children.

If our Republican colleagues can’t muster the courage to act, then they should step aside and let those of us who are willing to lead do the job we were elected to do.

Let Kemp wear his badge of failure with pride. His failure mustn’t be ours. We can no longer afford to wait. Our children’s lives depend on it.

Georgia State Representative Tanya F. Miller, Esq., is a Democrat representing the 62nd State House District which contains portions of Atlanta and East Point. Miller also serves as the lead counselor with the Georgia Federation of Public Service Employees. The views and opinions expressed are entirely her own.

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