Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp commented on the shooting at Apalachee High School during a stop in Macon on Thursday.
The comments followed Georgia House Speaker Jon Burns publishing a letter earlier in the day promising that Georgia lawmakers will consider stronger gun control legislation. Burns, a Republican, said the legislation would focus on creating new policies to improve student mental health, detecting guns and encouraging people to store guns safely.
The Sept. 4 shooting in Winder, Georgia, killed four and left nine wounded. It also brought national attention to Georgia’s gun laws. The suspected shooter and his father were arrested, but authorities are still investigating.
The promise is a sea change for Georgia Republicans, who have traditionally been opposed to gun control legislation. However, it falls short of demands made by Democrats in wake of the shooting, which include universal background checks and “red flag” laws that enable the state to take away guns from people in crisis.
Kemp did not say whether he would support stricter gun laws, and instead emphasized that the shooting is still under investigation. Kemp also said the state government is continuing to offer support to students, families, staff and community members in Winder who were affected by the shooting.
“I’m very interested in making sure we learn all the facts certainly before I try and weigh in on … policy issues,” Kemp said. “We worked last year with the General Assembly last year on a lot of things that the speaker was talking about in his letter, and we are going to continue to do so on this issue and a lot of other issues as we go into the legislative session.”
The Georgia House passed a bill with bipartisan support last year that would set up a $300 tax credit for safe storage devices or gun safety lessons. The bill was tabled in the Georgia Senate and never made it to the governor’s desk.
This story comes to GPB through a reporting partnership with Macon Telegraph.
