Want to carry a concealed handgun in Georgia? Here’s what the law allows
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In Georgia, gun owners can carry a concealed handgun — without a permit.
The Georgia Constitutional Carry Act, passed in 2022, allows “lawful” gun owners to carry a concealed weapon in most public places without getting a weapons carry license from the state.
Gov. Brian Kemp championed the measure, known as “permitless carry,” as a way to “build a safer, stronger Georgia.”
Senate Bill 319 “makes sure that law-abiding Georgians ... can protect themselves without having to ask permission from state government,” Kemp said before signing the bill into law. “The Constitution of the United States gives us that right — not the government.”
State law previously required gun owners to apply for a weapons permit and pass a federal background check before they were authorized to carry a firearm, concealed or otherwise, according to Georgia Code 16-11-129.
Applicants might receive a pamphlet or literature with gun safety advice. However, the law states that “no person shall be required to take such classes or courses” related to firearm safety.
Still looking to become a licensed gun owner? Here’s how to get a carry permit in Georgia:
How do I get a weapons carry permit in Georgia?
To be eligible for a weapons carry license, a person must:
Be at least 21 years old (18 if you have military experience)
Pay a $30 application fee
Be fingerprinted by a law enforcement agency or approved vendor
Pass a criminal background check from the Georgia Crime Investigation Center and the FBI’s National Instant Criminal Background Check System
Not be a convicted felon, or have pending felony charges
Not be a fugitive
Not have a drug conviction
Not have had their weapons license revoked within three years of the application date
Not have been treated in a mental health institution or drug rehab program within five years of the application date
If approved, the permit is valid for five years so long an individual is a resident of the county where they applied, according to Georgia Code 16-11-129. Permit holders may carry “any weapon” in any of Georgia’s 159 counties.
In 2022, the Georgia House also passed a bill allowing anyone licensed to carry a handgun in another state to have the same permissions in the Peach State, records show.
Reciprocally, more than two dozen states, including Alabama, Florida, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee, recognize a Georgia weapons carry license, according to the Georgia attorney general’s office.
Where can you carry a concealed handgun in Georgia?
Under Georgia law, gun owners can carry a concealed weapon:
At home or on private property
In a motor vehicle
In public buildings or businesses
In public parks
In recreational areas
In historical sites
While hunting, fishing or sport shooting
Select school personnel can also volunteer to conceal carry on school grounds — but only after completing firearms training that includes “judgment pistol shooting, marksmanship, and a review of current laws relating to the use of force for the defense of self and others,” according to Georgia Code 16-11-130.
Weapons must be carried on the person and not in a purse, backpack or other accessory where a student might find it, the law says.
Concealed handguns cannot be carried in places where they’re federally prohibited, however, including airports, courthouses, prisons and jails, according to the Giffords Law Center.
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