Savannah, Georgia just might be the most beautiful city in a state filled with beautiful communities. I’m not ready to say it’s the top in the country but in Georgia? Possible.
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It’s the point where James Oglethorpe landed and started the colony of Georgia and it still is home to a lot of beautiful old buildings from not too long after he landed here.
But it seems there’s a problem in Savannah.
To be fair, Savannah isn’t unique. Violent crime and stolen guns are a problem all over the nation. It’s an issue that probably needs to be addressed.
The mayor is just trying to do it by violating state law.
During his weekly press conference Tuesday, Savannah Mayor Van Johnson announced new measures to strengthen gun control in the city.
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“To be very clear, whenever you mention that ‘G word,’ people really get upset,” said Johnson. “In the time you take to call my office and complain, you can lock your gun up.”
Johnson is asking the council to amend chapter 9 of the City’s code to add new firearm security offenses. The first would require all firearm owners and dealers to report firearm thefts to the Savannah Police Department. The second would require people to lock their firearms in a locked compartment in a vehicle when parked and to not make them visible.
Johnson went on to claim he supports the Second Amendment, but…
Look, I think people should lock their guns up, too, but there are a few problems with Johnson’s comments here.
First, this bit:
“To be very clear, whenever you mention that ‘G word,’ people really get upset,” said Johnson. “In the time you take to call my office and complain, you can lock your gun up.”
Yeah, they can, but locking a gun up isn’t exactly an all-day evolution. They’ve got time to do both, and it’s also pretty damn arrogant to assume the people who resent being told they have to report lost or stolen guns and to lock up guns in their vehicles aren’t already securing their firearms.
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Most of the people who are being that flippant aren’t exactly Second Amendment advocates, yet that’s precisely who Johnson is blaming here.
The second issue is that Georgia is a preemption state. He literally can’t pass an ordinance like this because the city lacks the authority to do so. The lone exception in Georgia’s preemption law is that communities can prohibit the discharging of a firearm within the city limits.
That’s it.
There’s no exception provided for mandating securing a gun anywhere, nor is there an exception for a mandatory reporting requirement.
Johnson might get this passed, but it’ll immediately spark a lawsuit and then the ordinance will be overturned by the courts, meaning nothing is accomplished.
Instead, Johnson could turn his sights on better enforcement of existing laws, increasing patrols in high-crime areas and do so particularly where vehicle burglaries are common, and trying to find ways to keep people from going down that particular path.
He won’t, though, and that’s a problem.
