Johns Creek state Rep. Michelle Au plans to reintroduce two firearm safety bills in the next Georgia legislative session. One would mandate safe storage of firearms; the other would create a tax credit for safety devices like trigger locks and gun safes.
Au, a Democrat representing House District 50, announced the move on Friday, Sept. 4, the second anniversary of the Apalachee High School shooting in Winder, the Georgia Recorder reported. The Sept. 4, 2024, attack killed two students and two teachers and injured nine other students. The bills are listed on the Georgia General Assembly website as legislation numbers 69281 and 69282.
Au said she hopes the measures at least receive a committee hearing, the first step before a full House vote.
"I will bring it back as often, and every year that it requires, and until it passes or until the legislature gives it the fair hearing it deserves," Au told the Georgia Recorder on Sept. 4.
She called the legislature's silence on how the 14-year-old shooter obtained the weapon a "conspicuous omission," saying there had been "absolutely no discussion" on the issue in two years.
Gov. Brian Kemp issued a proclamation marking Sept. 4 as Apalachee Remembrance Day and held a press conference with families, community members and law enforcement. In 2025, Kemp signed a school safety bill requiring information sharing between districts and requiring panic buttons in schools. Critics said that measure did nothing to prevent children from acquiring guns and bringing them to school.
Layla Contreras, leader of Change for Chee, a community group formed after the shooting, said the state needs a "multi-layered" approach. Her sister and mother were inside Apalachee High School during the attack.
"Those are reactive measures. We want proactive measures," Contreras said.
She called for pairing safe storage laws with metal detectors and weapon detection systems. A separate bill mandating weapon detection in public schools, sponsored by House Majority Leader Chuck Efstration, a Mulberry Republican, also failed to become law. That bill is listed as legislation number 72353.
On Sept. 4, Au posted on X:
The start date of the upcoming legislative session has not been announced. Au's bills have not yet received a committee assignment.
