A 14-year-old student opened fire at a Georgia high school Wednesday morning, killing four people and injuring at least nine, authorities said.
By the afternoon, authorities released the shooter's name but not his background, the type of gun he used or how he came into possession of it.
But with 385 mass shootings so far this year, according to Gun Violence Archive, questions about guns and the laws that should have prevented tragedies like this often begin to take center stage in the aftermath of the event.
In a statement, President Biden said the shooting was "another horrific reminder of how gun violence continues to tear our communities apart" and called on Republicans in Congress to "finally say 'enough is enough' and work with Democrats to pass common-sense gun safety legislation."
"We must ban assault weapons and high-capacity magazines once again, require safe storage of firearms, enact universal background checks and end immunity for gun manufacturers," the statement read. "These measures will not bring those who were tragically killed today back, but it will help prevent more tragic gun violence from ripping more families apart."
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As stricter federal gun laws are held up in Congress, policing of guns often falls under state control — and under party line.
Though Georgia is currently considered a swing state, its government is that of a Republican stronghold. The conservative party controls both chambers of the state legislature along with the offices of the governor, attorney general and secretary of state. And its gun laws reflect that.
Republican Gov. Brian Kemp signed a bill in 2022 that made it legal for gun owners in the state to carry a concealed handgun in public without obtaining a permit, then saying gun violence crimes were because of "criminals" who were "getting the guns anyway."
"The criminals don't care what the laws say," Kemp said. "We're trying to give our citizens the law-abiding ability to protect and defend themselves and their families and their property and their place of business."
The state also doesn't require a license to carry a handgun in a resident's home, vehicle or place of business nor does it require background checks in private sales of firearms.
In 2017, the state passed a law requiring colleges and universities to allow guns on campus, and teachers are allowed to carry the weapons at schools, though only three districts have authorized teachers to be armed as of this year. It is, however, illegal to carry a weapon on school property or school functions for everyone, unless a school or teacher has authorized the carrying of the weapon.
Though federal law prohibits anyone under 18 from possessing a handgun, there are no minimum age laws restricting them from possessing rifles or shotguns. And in Georgia, there are no regulations on safe storage, which could require firearms to be securely stored unloaded and away from ammunition.
Georgia also doesn't have a "red flag" law, which allows law enforcement or even family members to ask a court to temporarily remove or prevent the purchase of guns from a person at risk of harming themselves or others with them.
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Multiple sources consider Georgia to be among the states with the weakest gun restrictions in the country, with the nonpartisan gun violence education group Everytown saying Georgia ranks 46th in the U.S. for its gun law strength.
Though research on the effects of gun policies on gun violence is still limited, an increase of efforts in the field has presented results showing states with stricter gun laws generally have lower rates of gun violence.
One study from 2018 found states without stricter firearm laws had higher firearm-related injury and mortality rates. Another from 2023 found state regulations that were passed from 1991 to 2016 were linked to a strong reduction in gun mortality, particularly laws that required background checks and waiting periods. The study's estimate said these laws passed in 40 states averted nearly 4,300 gun deaths in 2016 alone, which was roughly 11% of total gun deaths that year.
On average, 1,868 people die and 4,321 are wounded by guns in Georgia each year, and the state has the 10th-highest gun violence rate in the country, according to Everytown. The organization's data also shows the rate of gun deaths in the state is increasing more rapidly than that of the country, with Georgia's increasing 59% from 2012 to 2021 compared to 39% nationwide.
