New Georgia Law Would Make Giving Gun to Felons a Felony
There is a new proposed Georgia law that would make it a felony to give a firearm to a convicted felon. The new law could go into effect as early as July 2018:
It is currently a misdemeanor to give a gun to a felon, and there is a federal law against it that is rarely prosecuted. However, the new proposal would add a level of culpability to someone who may not even know that the person they are giving a gun to is a felon. While the language of the final law is unclear, it may make it a crime to “recklessly” give a gun to a felon. This would criminalize behavior in which the person accused may not even know the person they gave a gun to was a felon. If there were certain signs that someone was a felon or could be one (such as a roommate of a felon who is aware that probation comes by and checks their residence regularly), then ignorance of that person’s felon status would not be an excuse.
Guns are a major problem in the Savannah area, and this new proposed law would allow more people to be prosecuted when guns are involved. Be careful of your actions or you could be facing a felony charge.