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Attorney, gun expert holds demonstration for Forsyth County Tea Party
Tea Party
Kurt Martin, an attorney based out of Cumming, spoke to the party about Georgia gun laws and the National Firearms Act. - photo by Isabel Hughes

A local attorney and gun expert recently provided a demonstration of firearm silencers to members of the Forsyth County Tea Party at the group’s monthly meeting.

On Monday, May 22, Kurt Martin, an attorney based out of Cumming, spoke to the party about Georgia gun laws and the National Firearms Act (NFA), which regulates and classifies certain types of weapons.

The presentation provided a comprehensive overview of local laws, some of which surprised county residents, as well as several demonstrations of various silencers on both rifles and handguns.

When and where do Georgia residents not need a weapons carry license (GWL)?

  • To buy, trade or sell guns, unless they are designated NFA firearms
  • In a home, on personal land, in a person vehicle or at a personal place of business
  • In public, as long as the gun is unloaded and in a case or closed container

Who is not eligible for a GWL?

  • Convicted felons
  • Misdemeanor family violence or domestic violence offenders*
  • People under a family or domestic violence-related restraining order
  • Anyone deemed mentally incompetent by a court, board, commission or other lawful entity
  • Illegal immigrants**
  • Dishonorably discharged military personnel
*This can include anyone in a household who has a recorded history of domestic violence, including a spouse and children, even if they themselves have never committed a crime

** Green card holders, who are not citizens but are legally in the country, are eligible

Where can you not carry with a GWL?

  • Churches*
  • School property**
  • Local and state government buildings with security at all public entrances
  • Courthouses or any building that contains a courtroom
  • Federal government buildings, regardless of whether they are secured or not
  • Nuclear power plants
  • Polling places while they’re used for voting and polling

* Unless they approve it and provide an affirmative declaration

** A new law, House Bill 280, takes effect July 1, which allows GWL holders to carry on public colleges and trade schools. Private institutions are still off-limits.

What weapons are under stricter NFA regulations?

  • Shotguns having a barrel or barrels less than 18 inches long
  • Modified/short-barrel shotguns, also known as a “sawed off shotguns” if the gun, as modified, has an overall length less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels less than 18 inches long
  • Rifles having a barrel or barrels less than 16 inches long
  • Modified/short-barrel rifles if the rifle, as modified, has an overall length of less than 26 inches or a barrel or barrels less than 16 inches long
  • Machineguns
  • Silencers
  • Destructive devices*
  • Any other weapon (AOW)**

* These include grenades, bombs, missiles, poison/chemical gas and cannons

** Weapons that are concealed as something else, such as a gun disguised as a cellphone.