Georgia’s attorney general says Savannah overstepped in outlawing guns in unlocked cars

SAVANNAH, Ga. (AP) — Georgia’s attorney general says city officials in Savannah overstepped their authority by making it illegal to leave firearms in unlocked cars.

Savannah’s mayor and city council in April enacted the new city ordinance aimed at making it harder for criminals to steal guns, citing local police statistics showing more than 200 guns reported stolen last year from vehicles that weren’t locked. The law carries maximum penalties of a $1,000 fine and 30 days in jail.

State Attorney General Chris Carr, a Republican, said in a letter to Savannah officials Friday that the gun ordinance runs afoul of a state law that prohibits local governments from regulating “the possession, ownership, transport, (or) carrying” of firearms.

“Because the General Assembly has expressly designated the regulation of firearms as an issue of general, state-wide concern, no local ordinance can regulate firearms,” Carr wrote.

Carr’s letter foreshadows a likely court battle over whether city governments like Savannah’s can impose gun safety measures that have received little support in a state legislature dominated by Republicans. A lawsuit filed in Chatham Count Superior Court last week by a man described as frequent visitor to Savannah asks a judge to halt enforcement of the city’s gun ordinance.

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