Georgia lawmakers are pushing for new gun laws in the wake of the Apalachee High shooting

ATLANTA – The deadly shooting at Apalachee High School in September led to renewed calls for gun reform.

Tragedy struck the Winder campus when the Georgia Senate Safe Firearm Study Committee held a series of meetings to explore ways to reduce gun violence among children in Georgia.

Committee Chairman Sen. Emmanuel Jones, D-Decatur, presented the committee’s final report Thursday.

“We can do much better in Georgia, and we need to do better,” Jones told reporters.

The committee’s recommendations include a statewide alert protocol, which would require that when a student is flagged for potentially dangerous behavior and attempts to move to another school, the new school is notified of the problems before the student is moved registered.

The committee also recommended the implementation of child access prevention laws, which would include civil and criminal penalties, and a 10-day waiting period for the purchase of assault rifles unless the person has a gun carry permit.

“I believe we can get all these things passed,” Jones said.

The Georgia House will also discuss gun safety legislation next session. Georgia Rep. Mary Margaret Oliver, D-Decatur, is sponsoring a bill for the next session. This bill would require owners of assault weapons in Georgia to carry liability insurance for their firearms, making them financially responsible for any damage or injury caused by those weapons.

“A new idea has emerged in other states that says if you’re going to own an assault weapon, legally own an assault weapon, you have to get insurance for the damage that that weapon can cause,” Oliver said. “We are all focused on the danger our children face in schools and in their apartment complexes. Every weekend there is a murder involving the irresponsible, criminal use of weapons.”