School shooting draws unwanted attention to Georgia on campaign trail

Jim Denery | (TNS) The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

The national spotlight fell on Georgia on Wednesday following a shooting at Barrow County’s Apalachee High School that killed four and injured at least nine others.

The two major party candidates for president each responded quickly. Vice President Kamala Harris opened a rally that day by addressing the shooting, calling it “senseless.”

Former President Donald Trump wrote in a social media post that “our hearts are with the victims and loved ones of those affected by the tragic event.”

What comes next is uncertain.

A proposal Lt. Gov. Burt Jones unveiled a year ago, at another Barrow County school, to offer public school teachers a $10,000 annual stipend to carry guns in schools went nowhere during this year’s legislative session.

Georgia Republicans have seen great success in their efforts to ease firearms restrictions, including a 2022 law that lets Georgians carry concealed handguns without a permit. But now they’re split over what to do: Should they expand gun access, or is the proper response strengthening security initiatives and enhancing mental health services?

Democrats, who have long called for stricter firearms regulations, are also adjusting. After watching their efforts to reverse the state’s permissive gun rules founder in the Republican-led General Assembly, they’re looking for something more attainable: They’re pushing for tax incentives and other proposals to persuade Georgians to employ better storage measures to keep weapons from minors.

State Sen. Emanuel Jones, a Democrat from Decatur, is leading a study committee examining tax credits for safety devices and other initiatives. He wants something more than the “thoughts and prayers” often expressed — mostly by Republicans — in the aftermath of school shootings.

“It’s really unfortunate,” he said, “that we have to go through a mass shooting like this in our backyard where the Legislature has the power and authority to do something about it.”

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