Letters:Georgia mayors lead the way in calling for gun safety measures

Dear Editor,

More than fifty Georgia mayors sent a message to Governor Kemp and the state's General Assembly. Our mayors asked the governor and lawmakers to put in place, "enhanced gun safety measures in Georgia."

The mayors asked for continued enhancement of behavioral health supports and funding; a level playing field for background checks that includes all purchases or transfers; mechanisms that identify and prevent potential purchases by those who have been demonstrated to be at risk for illegal activity with guns; a focus on the specific weapons that are demonstrated to create rapid destruction through high capacity or rapid fire action; and requirements for safe storage of guns. Why would Georgia's mayors do something so extraordinary?

$23.9 billion – Gun violence costs Georgia $23.9 billion each year. 1800 – Every year 1800 people die by guns in Georgia.

190 – 190 Georgia teens and children die by guns every year. Number 1 – Gun violence is the leading cause of death among Georgia children and teens. 19 – Georgia had 19 multiple-victim shootings in the first ten months of 2023.

101% – Gun-related murders shot up 101% over the last decade in Georgia.

0 – The places in Georgia which are safe from the threat of injury and death from gun violence.

100% – Georgians who care deeply about the lives of men, women and children in Georgia.

Georgia's mayors are speaking to us loudly and clearly! We must listen to them. And we must act, just as they have done.

Bruce Menke

Athens