A group of 46 Georgia mayors have penned a plea to Gov. Brian Kemp and the General Assembly for new gun safety measures in the state. The mayors represent a cross section of communities, from Democratic cities such as Atlanta and Savannah to towns in conservative rural areas of the state — Adel to Blakely and Hiawassee to Young Harris.
“We currently live with the reality that gun violence has become the No. 1 killer of children, and in which Georgia has become a top exporter of illegal weapons,” they wrote. “We come to you with this request because our residents rely upon us to be the front line of efforts to enhance their quality of life.”
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Athens-Clarke County Mayor Kelly Girtz, a former teacher and school administrator, took the lead on the letter. He said the shootings at the Covenant School in Nashville activated him to do more to stop gun violence.
“Having had students who I worked with who were killed here, and, sadly students who pulled the trigger, whatever end of the weapon you’re on, it creates just this wave after wave of trauma and devastation and it has a systemic impact on communities,” he said.